Baker was born in the village of
Painted Post in
Steuben County,
New York. His mother, Elizabeth (Fleming) Baker, was the daughter of John Fleming, an early Painted Post settler. His father, Harrison H. Baker, was a millwright who became a lumber manufacturer later in his life. Growing up, Baker attended local public schools. He spent two years at Overland College before attending
Cornell University in
Ithaca, New York. He graduated from Cornell with a
Bachelor of Arts in 1874. He was admitted to the bar in 1876. He was a member of the
New York State Assembly (Steuben Co., 2nd D.) in
1885,
1886 and
1887. Around 1889 he was appointed as Assistant
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. to return to private law, but was again appointed to the office several years later and served until 1908. In 1910 he was appointed by
United States Attorney General George Woodward Wickersham to be special counsel and attorney for the newly organized
New York City Department of Justice. Baker died at
St. Luke's Hospital in
New York City at age 87. He was buried in Painted Post. ==References==