James Addison Baker (January 10, 1857August 2, 1941) was an American attorney and banker in Houston, Texas. He was born James Addison Baker, Junior, and "Junior" appeared in his signature for many years. After the death of his father in 1897, he started signing his name "Captain James A. Baker," and from that point on people referred to him as Captain Baker.
Baker was the grandfather of President Ronald Reagan's Chief of Staff, James Addison Baker III. Baker's father was a partner of an early antecedent to the Houston-based international law firm, Baker Botts, joining in 1872. Baker became a partner with the firm as well.
As a young attorney, Baker specialized in railroad law as Houston was growing into a regional transportation hub. He developed a business relationship with William Marsh Rice, first as an attorney and later as an overseer of Rice's business interests in several companies. This led to Rice selecting Baker as his personal attorney and a guardian of his education foundation. He defended Rice's estate against a will probated under his second wife's signature. He helped New York authorities unravel the murder conspiracy executed by Rice's personal valet and an attorney, and provided evidence critical to their convictions, all while defending the Rice estate against two major challenges. He served as a trustee for the Rice Institute for five decades.
Early life
Baker was born in Huntsville, Texas, the son of James Addison Baker (1821–1897) and his wife Rowena Crawford Baker (1826–1889). "Jimmie", as he was known in his childhood, grew up in Huntsville with his siblings and lived close to extended family. He had four younger sisters and a brother who survived to adulthood: Minnie, Anna B, Nettie, Ruth, and Robert Lee. Another younger sister and younger brother died during infancy.
In 1872, his father left for Houston to pursue a law partnership in Houston. He first attended a local school, but transferred to a preparatory school for his final year. In 1874, he enrolled at the Texas Military Institute (TMI). The school relocated from Austin to Bastrop, Texas after 1870, where it established a barracks with a capacity for housing 400 students. Baker's dormitory included a stove for heat. He wrote many letters to his family in Houston, though he never confessed to being homesick. He studied classical languages and German while finishing as the top student of mathematics in his freshman class. Later he substituted classics for a curriculum of history, literature, and science. He quit school in 1877 after his family could no longer offer financial support. Though Baker ended his coursework a year early, he passed all of his examinations and earned his degree. He taught at Texas Military Institute the next term.
Career
Houston Light Guard
In 1874, Baker joined the Houston Light Guard, a local militia organized the previous year. One of its members, Jonas Shearn Rice had attended TMI, and sought Baker as a member. The Houston Light Guard was a vehicle for local social networking, as many lawyers and business leaders joined the militia or lent it material support. William Marsh Rice owned fifteen mortgage bonds drawn for the unit, and two of his nephews were members, including another TMI graduate and future mayor of Houston, Horace Baldwin Rice. Local newspaper publisher Allen Charles Gray campaigned for the group and gave it favorable coverage, while his brother Edwin Fairfax Gray, a Civil War veteran, trained and drilled the first wave of recruits. The gray and black uniforms of the militia's early days revealed their allegiances to the Confederacy and the Lost Cause, though the militia replaced these uniforms in the 1880s with a scheme based on blue pants and red coats.
In May 1878, Baker was promoted to first sergeant. He received a promotion to captain in August 1879, after which he led the honor guard presented to President Grant for his visit to Houston in 1880. He resigned his commission and retired from active duty in the early-1880s. For decades, he attended group functions and supported the Light Guard as an advisor, promoter, and fundraiser.
Legal practice
Baker started as an apprentice at Baker & Botts on December 1, 1877, reading law in his spare time and performing general office duties for the firm. He obtained a licence to practice law in Texas two years later, and was promoted to partner of Baker, Botts & Baker on July 1, 1881.