Mary Louise (Richards) (b. 1862; died 1940) George Carswell Baker (b. 1865; died 1886) Edward Larrabee Baker (b. 1869; died 1949) Robert Hall Baker, Jr. (b. 1870; died 1911) Charles Henry Baker (b. 1873; died 1946)
Robert married Emily M. Carswell in 1859 and they had five children. They resided in Racine at the corner of 6th and Main Street, now the site of the U.S. Post Office.[1]
In 1856, he entered business in Racine hardware supply, then worked for one year with Thomas Falvey, a reaper manufacturer. He then went to work for the J.I. Case Company in 1860 as a collecting agent.[1]
In January 1863, Baker purchased a one quarter stake in the J.I. Case Company, becoming one of the four major shareholders in the company, the others being M.B. Erskine, Stephen Bull, and Jerome Case himself.[1]
In Racine, Baker was elected as school commissioner in 1867, alderman in 1868 and 1871, and mayor in 1874. He won election to the Wisconsin Senate in 1872, defeating Democrat Nicholas D. Fratt. In 1873, he was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, losing to Charles D. Parker. In 1874 he was elected to return to the Senate, defeating incumbent Liberal RepublicanCharles Herrick.[1] Baker was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin during the presidential campaign of James Garfield, and was appointed government director of the Union Pacific Railroad by Garfield after he became president. He held this office until his death in 1882.[2]
He was a director of the Racine Hardware Manufacturing Company, a director of the Manufacturers National Bank of Racine and the National Iron Company of De Pere, Wisconsin, and president of the Hampton Coal Mining Company.[1]
^ abc"Robert Hall Baker". Commemorative Biographical Record of Prominent and Representative Men of Racine and Kenosha Counties Wisconsin. J.H. Beers and Co. 1906.
^"Official directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (1873) (Report). Atwood and Culver, Printers and Stereotypers, 1873. p. 434. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
^"Election statistics". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (1874) (Report). Atwood and Culver, Printers and Stereotypers, 1874. p. 354. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
^"Official directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (1875) (Report). Atwood and Culver, Printers and Stereotypers, 1875. p. 311. Retrieved 2019-03-25.