Newton D. Baker

Newton Diehl Baker, Jr.
47th United States Secretary of War
In office March 9, 1916 – March 4, 1921
President	Woodrow Wilson
Preceded by	Lindley M. Garrison
Succeeded by	John W. Weeks
Personal details
Born	(1871-12-03)December 3, 1871 Martinsburg, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	December 25, 1937(1937-12-25) (aged 66) Shaker Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Elizabeth Leopold Baker
Alma mater	Johns Hopkins University Washington and Lee University
Profession	Politician, Lawyer

Newton Diehl Baker, Jr. (December 3, 1871 – December 25, 1937) was an American politician of the United States Democratic Party. He served as the 37th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1912 to 1915 and as Secretary of War from 1916 to 1921.

Baker was a native of Martinsburg, West Virginia, and an 1892 graduate of Johns Hopkins University. After receiving his law degree from Washington and Lee University in 1894, Baker became the secretary to the Postmaster General, William L. Wilson.

After leaving Washington, D.C., Baker moved to Cleveland, where he became active in local politics. He married Elizabeth Leopold on July 5, 1902. After serving as city solicitor from 1901 to 1909, he became mayor of the city in 1911. As a city official, Baker's main interests were public power, transit reform, and city beautification. He was a strong backer of Cleveland College (now a part of Case Western Reserve University).

Elizabeth Leopold Baker

Following his tenure as mayor of Cleveland, in 1916, Baker, along with two other partners, founded the law firm of Baker & Hostetler. As the United States considered whether to enter World War I, President Woodrow Wilson named Baker Secretary of War, because Baker was an acceptable candidate for politicians on both sides of the question. As Secretary of War, Baker presided over the American military involvement in the war (1917-18), including the unprecedented creation of a nationwide military draft.

After stepping down as Secretary of War in 1921, Baker returned to practicing law at Baker & Hostetler, and never again served in a public office (although he was considered as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 1924, 1928, and 1932). He died Christmas Day in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, and was interred in Lake View Cemetery.

In 1957 Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve) erected the Newton D. Baker Building in his honor; it served as a large unit of general purpose classrooms and administrative offices. It was located on the corner of Adelbert and Euclid, across from Severance Hall. The building was torn down in November 2004.

Today, the law firm he founded, Baker Hostetler, is one of the nation’s 100 largest firms.

References

• The Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History by Cleveland Bicentennial Commission (Cleveland, Ohio), David D. Van Tassel (Editor), and John J. Grabowski (Editor) ISBN 0-253-33056-4
• Garraty, John A. and Mark C. Carnes. American National Biography, vol. 2, "Baker, Newton Diehl". New York : Oxford University Press, 1999.

External links

• Newton D. Baker at Find A Grave
• Newton D. Baker at NNDB

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