Jehu Baker

Who was Jehu Baker?

Jehu Baker was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.

Born near Lexington, Kentucky, Baker moved with his father to Lebanon, Illinois, in 1829. He attended the common schools and McKendree University. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1846, entering private practice in Belleville, Illinois. He served as master in chancery of St. Clair County, Illinois from 1861-1865.

Baker was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Congresses, defeating incumbent William R. Morrison. He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department, Committee on Education and Labor. In 1876, he campaigned in Illinois for Rutherford B. Hayes, who rewarded him by appointing him as United States Minister to Venezuela.

Baker was elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1888 to the Fifty-first Congress. He continued the practice of law.

Baker was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth Congress. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1898 to the Fifty-sixth Congress. He resumed the practice of law. He died in Belleville on March 1, 1903, and was buried in Walnut Hill Cemetery.