John Aaron Baker (March 25, 1839 – November 19, 1919) was an American businessman and Republican politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing southwest Fond du Lac County during the 1871 session.

John A. Baker
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Fond du Lac 2nd district
In office
January 2, 1871 – January 1, 1872
Preceded byRoelof Sleyster
Succeeded byElihu Colman
Personal details
Born(1839-03-25)March 25, 1839
Stephenson County, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 19, 1919(1919-11-19) (aged 80)
Everett, Washington, U.S.
Resting placeEvergreen Cemetery, Everett, Washington
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Harmony Addie Bly
(m. 1871⁠–⁠1919)
Children
  • Walter Guy Baker
  • (b. 1871; died 1939)
  • Arthur S. Baker
  • (b. 1878; died 1884)
Education
ProfessionLawyer
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Volunteers
Union Army
Years of service1861–1865
Rank1st Lieutenant, USV
Unit1st Reg. Wis. Vol. Cavalry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Biography

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John A. Baker was born March 25, 1839, in Stephenson County, Illinois. His father died when he was quite young, and he moved with his mother to Evansville, in Rock County, Wisconsin, where she remarried. They soon moved further north to Stevens Point and Wausau. Baker received a common school education and taught school at Wausau, where he was also elected town superintendent of schools.[1]

In 1860, he enrolled in Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin, but his education was interrupted by the outbreak of the American Civil War.[1]

Baker quickly volunteered for service in the Union Army and was enrolled in Company B of the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment. The 1st Wisconsin Cavalry served in many of the important campaigns of the western theater of the war, including Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Atlanta.[2]

Baker served most of the war with his company, promoted to corporal and then quartermaster sergeant. In early 1864, he was promoted to sergeant major, and then shortly thereafter commissioned as first lieutenant for Company I, where he served through most of the rest of the war. He was in command of his company for much of his time as first lieutenant, and was offered a promotion to captain in January 1865, but declined.[1] He mustered out in March 1865, at the expiration of his term of enlistment.[3]

Following his war service, Baker returned to Portage County, Wisconsin, and was elected town clerk of Stockton. He subsequently attended the Albany Law School and moved east to Waupun, in Fond du Lac County in 1868.[1]

In 1870, Baker was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly running on the Republican Party ticket. He represented Fond du Lac County's 2nd Assembly district in the 1871 session, which then comprised a portion of the southwest corner of the county.[1]

In 1871, Baker became invested in the Dodge County Mutual Insurance Company and was elected secretary of the company for three years. In 1874, he was one of the founding members of the all-volunteer Waupun Fire Company, and was elected foreman of the company.[4]

Baker left Wisconsin in 1875 and moved to Nebraska. He worked for a number of years as a dealer of water pumps and mills, before moving further west to Washington in 1892. In Washington, Baker worked as a real estate dealer.

Baker died at his home in Everett, Washington, on November 19, 1919.[5]

Personal life and family

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John A. Baker was the eldest son of Aaron Baker and his wife Anna (née Allen). He had a younger brother, William, who also served with him in the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment and lived his later years in Everett, Washington.

John A. Baker married Harmony Addie Bly in 1871. They had two children together, though their second son, Arthur, died in childhood.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1871. p. 375. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  2. ^ Quiner, Edwin B. (1866). "Regimental History–First Cavalry". The Military History of Wisconsin. Clarke & Co. pp. 881–899. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  3. ^ "First Regiment Cavalry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. 1. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. pp. 2, 7, 32. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  4. ^ The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company. 1880. pp. 518, 519. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Civil War Hero Dies". The Tacoma Daily Ledger. November 22, 1919. p. 7. Retrieved July 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by
Roelof Sleyster
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Fond du Lac 2nd district
January 2, 1871 – January 1, 1872
Succeeded by