William Baker

Who was William Baker?

William Baker was a U.S. Representative from Kansas. Born near Centerville, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Baker attended public school and graduated from the Waynesboro College in 1856. He was a teacher and moved to Iowa in 1859 to become principal of the public schools in Council Bluffs. Baker studied law, and in 1860, he was admitted to the bar, but never practiced.

In 1865, Baker returned to Bealsville, Washington County, Pennsylvania. From 1865-1878, he engaged in mercantile pursuits.

In 1878, he moved to Lincoln County, Kansas, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising.

As a Populist, Baker was elected to the Fifty-second, Fifty-third, and Fifty-fourth Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1896, and he resumed agricultural pursuits.

William Baker died in Lincoln, Kansas, February 11, 1910 and was interred in Lincoln Center Cemetery.