Robert Baker (politician)

Robert Baker (born April 1862 in Bury St Edmunds , Great Britain , † June 15, 1943 in Brooklyn , New York ) was an American lawyer and politician . Between 1903 and 1905 he represented New York State in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Robert Baker was born in Bury St. Edmunds during the Victorian Age . He attended public schools. In 1882 immigrated to the United States and settled in Albany . He then moved to the then independent city of Brooklyn in 1889. In 1894 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the New York State Assembly . Then in 1902 he was an auditor in New York City . Politically, he belonged to the Democratic Party .

In the congressional elections of 1902 Baker was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the sixth constituency of New York , where he succeeded George H. Lindsay on March 4, 1903 . In 1904 he suffered a defeat when he ran for re-election and resigned from Congress on March 3, 1905 . His candidacy in 1906 was also unsuccessful. During his time as Congressman, he was perceived as a passionate reformer and was nicknamed "No-Pass Bob" for his stance against free train travel for MPs. He was a staunch supporter of the single tax theory of Henry George . In this context, he hosted the first Citizen's Union meeting in April 1893 at his home at 89 St. Marks Avenue in Brooklyn. The Citizen's Union still exists in New York today as a powerful, independent surveillance organization dealing with community affairs, although it has long since given up its ties to Henry George. As a pacifist , he refused to appoint any cadets to the United States Military Academy at West Point . As an opponent of militarism , he offered to stop American manufacturing of warships. He also condemned the Bloody Sunday - Massacre in St. Petersburg ( Russian Empire ). He led the opposition to a presidential wage increase from $ 50,000 to $ 100,000 a year on the grounds that it would not be necessary in a republic . He was mocked as a comedian who would rather disagree than be right.

After his time in Congress, he served as Secretary in the New York City Department of Docks and Ferries in 1906 . Until his death on June 15, 1943, he worked in the stone paving business in Brooklyn and in general real estate business. His body was buried in Evergreen Cemetery .

Web links

• Robert Baker in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Robert Baker in the database of Find a Grave (English)