Joshua Baker

Joshua Baker

Joshua Baker (born March 23, 1799 in Mason County , Kentucky , † April 16, 1885 in Lyme , Connecticut ) was an American politician and in 1868 governor of the state of Louisiana .

Early years

As early as 1803, the Kentucky family moved to what was then the Mississippi Territory . In 1811 there was another move to the Oaklawn Plantation, St. Mary Parish in what was then the Orleans Territory , from which the state of Louisiana emerged. Joshua was homeschooled. Between 1817 and 1819 he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point . He remained in the army as a lieutenant until 1821. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1822. He then worked, with one interruption, between 1822 and 1838 in a law firm in Opelousas , Louisiana. Between 1826 and 1829 he was a member of the Louisiana Militia.

Political rise

Between 1829 and 1839 Baker was also employed as a probate judge at St. Mary Parish. Between 1833 and 1838 he was also Deputy Minister of Construction ( Assistant State Engeneer ) of Louisiana and from 1840 to 1845 he was the Director of Public Works for the orders given by the State of Louisiana. In the meantime he had bought three sugar plantations and was also involved in the steamboat business. Between 1853 and 1861 he was a member of the "Board of Visitors" of the Military Academy at West Point.

Baker in the Civil War and as Governor

Joshua was a member of the conservative wing of the Democratic Party . However, he opposed Louisiana's secession from the Union in 1861 . After the occupation of further areas of this state by the troops of the Union, Baker decided to work with them. After taking an oath of allegiance to the Union, he was appointed on January 8, 1868 by the military commander in Louisiana, General Winfield Scott Hancock , to succeed the resigned Governor Benjamin Flanders . Even Baker could not hold out long in politically troubled Louisiana. He supported President Andrew Johnson's reconstruction policy . In March 1868 he was arrested for breaking oath for refusing to erect a barricade over the Bayou Teche. Then General Hancock dismissed nine councilors in New Orleans. This decision was overturned by General Ulysses S. Grant , whereupon Hancock asked for his transfer, which he was granted. On June 27, 1868, Governor Baker was also dismissed. Henry C. Warmoth was then elected as his successor in an extraordinary gubernatorial election.

Another résumé

After the end of his governorship, Baker withdrew from politics. He devoted himself to his plantations and worked as a lawyer again. He died in 1885. Joshua Baker was married twice with a total of five children.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Joshua Baker in the National Governors Association (English)
• The Governors of Louisiana (English)