Who is newton d. baker

Baker attended Johns Hopkins University and graduated in , before earning a law degree from Washington and Lee University in He briefly practiced law in his home town before becoming the private secretary of Postmaster General William L. Baker moved to Cleveland, Ohio, sometime around the turn of the century. He set up a law practice in the town and in was appointed the city's Director of Law. By , Baker was a prominent member of the community and a leading figure within the local Democratic Party.

He was elected to three consecutive terms as city solicitor beginning in , and in , he became mayor of Cleveland.

Baker served as mayor from until , when President Woodrow Wilson nominated him to be his Secretary of War. Wilson had previously asked him to serve as Secretary of the Interior, but Baker had refused that position. Baker made an interesting choice for Secretary of War, as he had previously been known as a pacifist. His time as Secretary of War proved to be a significant time in American history.

Baker sent an American expedition to Mexico to capture the Mexican outlaw Pancho Villa in , and he chaired the Council of Defense with its role of preparing the United States for potential involvement in World War I.

She was an accomplished soprano, and when she sang at one of Cleveland's pop concerts in , Baker reported that she wore a new dress with "as large a hat as anybody, which is something in this day and generation.

He was one of three founding members of the law firm Baker and Hostetler. Today, Baker and Hostetler has more than attorneys. As Secretary of War under President Wilson from to , in a period of fourteen months he raised an army of almost four million men, transported half of them to France, administered the draft law, selected General Pershing, and supervised the rapid expenditure of almost fifteen billion dollars with a minimum of scandal.

In international affairs he was a steadfast advocate of the low tariff, and of American participation in the League of Nations and the World Court. On the domestic front he was on the left wing in local affairs, and right of center on national issues. In Cleveland, Baker was a gradualist who achieved a reputation as a "reliable radical and prudent progressive.

Baker suffered a second heart attack on Christmas Eve, , and died on Christmas Day at the age of Yet the final vote went against him by a margin of more than 2 to 1. Not only did Mr. Baker do his best, but he made one of the best and most moving speeches heard of late in any political meeting. He showed himself a disciple worthy to wear his master's mantle.

He too has the spirit of prophecy upon him. Later at the convention he nominated former Governor James M. Cox of Ohio as his state's "favorite son. He remained active in Democratic Party affairs and was considered as a serious prospect for the Democratic nomination for President in , when he declined to announce his candidacy, but worked behind the scenes in the hope of being chosen if Franklin D. Roosevelt should fail to win the nomination.

Yale University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws in Baker argued before the U. Supreme Court as counsel for the property owner in Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co. Baker served on the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins University beginning in and was considered for appointment as president of the institution in In , he resigned as a member of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Committee after serving for 26 years. He published a lecture in pamphlet form as War in the Modern World in They had two daughters and a son.

His wife died on August 24, Baker Building in his honor. Located on the corner of Adelbert and Euclid , across from Severance Hall , it served as a large unit of general purpose classrooms and administrative offices. The building was torn down in November Baker School of Arts located on W. Baker dormitory at Washington and Lee University is also named for him. Baker Hospital and is still referred to as such by local residents. Military Wiki Explore. Popular pages. Project maintenance.

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