John Baker (representative) explained

John Baker
State:Virginia
District:2nd
Term Start:March 4, 1811
Term End:March 4, 1813
Predecessor:James Stephenson
Successor:Francis White
Office2:Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Berkeley County
Term2:1798
Alongside Magnus Tate
Birth Place:Frederick County, Province of Maryland, British America
Death Place:Shepherdstown, Virginia, U.S. (now West Virginia)
Alma Mater:Washington College
Occupation:lawyer
Party:Federalist

John Baker (1769August 18, 1823)[1] was an American politician who represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives from 1811 to 1813.

Biography

Baker was born in 1769 in Frederick County in the Province of Maryland. He attended Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), Lexington, Virginia for three years. Later, he studied law. He was admitted to the bar and began practice in Berkeley County, Virginia (now Jefferson County, West Virginia).

Baker was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1798–1799. He was one of the lawyers who defended Aaron Burr when he was tried for treason. He was elected as a Federalist to the Twelfth Congress (March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813) with 56.44% of the vote, defeating Democratic-Republican Daniel Morgan. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law. He was the Commonwealth attorney for Jefferson County. He died in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1823 and is buried in the Old Episcopal Church Cemetery.

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=7oJeb5AHmhkC&pg=PA220&lpg=PA220 History of Berkeley County, p. 220