William Baker was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

. Born near Centerville, Washington County, Pennsylvania

Centerville, Washington County, Pennsylvania

Centerville is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,390 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Centerville is located at ....

, Baker attended public school and graduated from the Waynesboro College in 1856. He was a teacher and moved to Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 in 1859 to become principal of the public schools in Council Bluffs. Baker studied law, and in 1860, he was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

, 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

Lincoln County, Kansas

Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 3,241...

, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising.

As a Populist, Baker was elected to the Fifty-second

52nd United States Congress

The Fifty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...

, Fifty-third

53rd United States Congress

The Fifty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1893 to March 4, 1895, during the fifth and sixth...

, and Fifty-fourth

54th United States Congress

- House of Representatives :-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Adlai E. Stevenson * President pro tempore: William P. Frye - Majority leadership :* Republican Conference Chairman: John Sherman- Minority leadership :...

 Congresses (March 4, 1891-March 3, 1897). 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.

External links

• William Baker at Find-A-Grave