Representative George T. Baker View All Years

HONORABLE GEORGE T. BAKER

MR. SPEAKER: Your committee, appointed to prepare a suitable resolution commemorating the life, character and public service of the Honorable George T. Baker, begs leave to submit the following memorial:

George T. Baker was born July 9, 1857, on a farm in Iowa county, Iowa, the son of the late Albert Watson Baker and Freelove Malicent Kenyon Baker, and passed away in Hotel Dieu Hospital in El Paso, Texas on December 13, 1940.

Mr. Baker spent his early boyhood on an Iowa farm and received his early education in the district schools of Iowa. He received his preparatory education at Hall’s School for Boys, Ellington, Connecticut; McClain’s Academy at Iowa City; he attended the State University at Iowa City for one year and completed four years of special work in civil engineering at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, graduating in 1879.

In April 1879, he was married to Clara I. Poole of Ithaca, New York, who died in April, 1919. The couple went to Iowa City where they resided until 1885, when they moved to Davenport, Iowa. To this union were born three daughters, Mrs. Georgia Risley of Davenport, Iowa, Mrs. Ethel Brandt, of La Union, New Mexico, and Sue, who died in April, 1919.

During the years 1879 to 1889, he was engaged in railway location, construction and maintenance work, after which he was chief engineer for the high bridges built across the Mississippi River at Muscatine and Clinton, and was consulting engineer of the high bridge at Winona, Minnesota. From 1893 until January, 1910, he was engaged in general construction work on railways, paving, sewerage, water works and heavy building construction.

Mr. Baker served as a member of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of Iowa in the Twenty-sixth Regular and Twenty-sixth Special Sessions. He served as mayor of the city of Davenport from 1898 to 1900 and from 1911 until 1932 he was a member of the Davenport Park Board and also acted for many years as president of the West Davenport Improvement Co., and vice-president of the Clinton St. Railway Company and the Choctaw Lumber Company from 1902 until 1924; and was president of the Davenport Industrial Commission.

Mr. Baker was a member of the State Board of Education since the Board came into existence in 1909, and resigned as president on October 4, 1940, when he left Davenport to visit his daughter, but he retained his membership on the Board and during his long service he devoted much of his time to activities of the building and business committees and always took an active part in the development of higher education in Iowa.

In October 1928, Mr. Baker was appointed a member of the Railway Emergency Board by President Coolidge, and in June, 1934, he was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree at the commencement exercises at Cornell College, Mt. Vernon. He was honored May 27, 1936, at a dinner marking the opening of the first dormitory for men at Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls, where the new building was named George T. Baker Hall, in his honor.

Mr. Baker was also a member of the Beta Theta Pi, national social fraternity and was a member of the Episcopal church. He was always a staunch Democrat and was delegate-at-large to the Democratic National Convention in 1900. He was a member of the Elks Lodge at Davenport.

After the death of Mrs. Baker, he lived in the Baker home at 1514 Farnam Street, Davenport, with his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Risley.

Of his service and worth as a citizen, it is difficult to speak adequately, but this committee does not hesitate to repeat what has been said regarding Mr. Baker: “He lived up to the highest ideals of citizenship. If anyone deserved to be called a perfect citizen, George T. Baker deserved to be thus designated.”

Therefore, Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of Forty-ninth General Assembly, That, in the passing of George T. Baker, the state of Iowa has lost a valued and honored citizen, a conscientious statesman, and the family a loving father.

Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be spread upon the Journal of the House of Representatives and that the Chief Clerk of the House be directed to send an enrolled copy of this Memorial to the two surviving daughters of the deceased.

HOWARD P. ECKERMAN,

WALTER DIETZ,

F. A. LATCHAW,

Committee.

Unanimously adopted April 3, 1941.