User:AllTheUsernamesAreInUse/Thomas Baker

Thomas Baker
Baker in 1850
Member of the Iowa Territory House of Representatives from the 6th district
In office December 4, 1843 – June 4, 1845
Preceded by	Joseph Newell
Succeeded by	George W. McCleary
Member of the Iowa Senate from the 5th district
In office November 30, 1846 – December 3, 1848
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Phineas M. Casady
Member of the California House of Representatives from the Tulare County district
In office 1856–1858
Member of the California Senate from the Tulare and Fresno counties district
In office 1862–1863
Personal details
Born	(1810-11-10)November 10, 1810 Muskingum County, Ohio, U.S.
Died	November 24, 1872(1872-11-24) (aged 62) Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mary Featherstone (1832–1843) Lovisa King Ellen Alverson (1858–1872)
Children	7
Occupation	Lawyer, soldier

Thomas Baker (November 10, 1810 – November 24, 1872) was an American politician, lawyer and pioneer who was active in Iowa and California. He founded the city of Bakersfield, California, co-founded Visalia, California, and served in the state legislatures of both Iowa and California.

Early life

Baker was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, on November 10, 1810, to Nathan and Mary (née Blizzard) Baker. He was one of five children. His younger brother, Nathan Baker, represented Lee County, Iowa, in the Iowa Senate for two years in the 1850s.

Career

Baker in 1860

Baker was made a colonel in the Ohio state militia at the age of 19. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar, working as a part-time attorney throughout his life. In 1836 he moved to present-day Washington County, Iowa, while Iowa was still a part of Wisconsin Territory. He was driven out by a Native American tribe, who burned his log cabin. He returned in 1838 when the Iowa Territory was established. He was appointed US district attorney for Iowa Territory, a position he held until Iowa gained statehood in 1846. In 1841 he was elected to represent Washington and Louisa counties in the Territorial House of Representatives, and was reelected in 1843 and 1844. In 1846, when Iowa became a state, he was elected to the 5th district of the Iowa Senate, which comprised Dallas, Polk, Jasper and Marion counties. He was chosen as the first President of the Senate at the onset of the 1st General Assembly. He served in the Senate until 1848. In 1849 he was a candidate for judge of the 5th Iowa judicial district, but was defeated.

Baker's house at present-day Bakersfield in 1861

In 1850 Baker moved to California after hearing news of the California gold rush. He first arrived in Benicia, where he lived for several months, before moving to the Stockton area. In 1852 he moved to western Tulare County and helped found the city of Visalia. In 1855 he was elected to represent Tulare County in the California State Assembly. In 1858 he was appointed receiver of the Land Office at Visalia, a position he held until 1861, when he was elected to represent Tulare and Fresno counties in the California State Senate. In 1863 he bought a property near the Kern River in present-day western Kern County for $200. The area became known as Baker’s Field and became a popular stopover for travelers. The settlement had a population of 600 by 1870 and was incorporated as the city of Bakersfield several years later.

Personal life

Baker married three times; first to Mary Featherstone in 1832, then to Lovisa King after Featherstone’s death in 1843, then to Ellen Alverson in 1858 after King’s death. He had four children with his first wife, none with his second and three with his third. He died at the age of 62 on November 24, 1872, at his residence in Bakersfield after a brief illness.

References

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