Baker was born in
Guisborough in
North Yorkshire, the son of John and Mary (née Gilbert) Baker, and died in
Kew. He lived in Thirsk (North Yorkshire) until 1864 when the drapers store owned by his family burnt down. The place where he lived in the town, now called Bakers Alley, is marked by a blue plaque which was unveiled in 2005 by Professor Simon Owens who, like his renowned predecessor, was then Keeper of the Herbarium at Kew. He was educated at Ackworth School and
Bootham School, York, both being Quaker schools. He subsequently worked at the library and
herbarium of the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew between 1866 and 1899, and was keeper of the herbarium from 1890 to 1899. He wrote handbooks on many plant groups, including
Amaryllidaceae,
Bromeliaceae,
Iridaceae,
Liliaceae, and
ferns. His published works include
Flora of Mauritius and the Seychelles (1877) and
Handbook of the Irideae (1892). Baker issued several
exsiccata-like series, among others the series
Herbarium of British Roses [Herbarium Rosarum Britannicarum]. He married Hannah Unthank in 1860. Their son Edmund was one of twins, and his twin brother died before 1887. John G. Baker was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society in 1878. as well as honorary membership of the
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1886. He was awarded the
Veitch Memorial Medal of the
Royal Horticultural Society in 1907. ==Taxa named in honour==