George T. Baker

BAKER, POOLE, BRANDT, RISLEY

Posted By: Debbie Gerischer (email)
Date: 7/7/2007 at 11:04:16

A Narrative History
of
The People of Iowa
with
SPECIAL TREATMENT OF THEIR CHIEF ENTERPRISES IN
EDUCATION, RELIGION, VALOR, INDUSTRY,
BUSINESS, ETC.
by
EDGAR RUBEY HARLAN, LL. B., A. M.
Curator of the
Historical, Memorial and Art Department of Iowa
Volume IV
THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Inc.
Chicago and New York
1931

HON. GEORGE T. BAKER, civil engineer, president of the Iowa State Board of
Education, former mayor of Davenport and former state representative of Iowa,
is one of the most prominent men of the state, honored alike by his community,
his state and his nation. He was born on a farm in Iowa County, Iowa, July
9, 1857, and educated in the district schools of Iowa, Hall's School for
Boys at Ellington, Connecticut, McClain's Academy at Iowa City, Iowa, and the
Iowa State University, which latter institution he left after one year, and,
going to Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, there completed four years of
special work in civil engineering, in 1879.

With his graduation from Cornell Mr. Baker entered upon ten years of active
railroad construction work, being engineer of location, construction and
maintenance on the C. R. I & P., Walbash and Santa Fe Railways, and had charge of
the building of the high bridges built across the Mississippi River at
Muscatine and Clinton, Iowa. He was consulting engineer of the high bridge at
Winona, Minnesota, and in all of his work displayed ability of a rare order.
From 1893 to 1910 he was engaged in general construction work on railways,
paving, sewerage, water works and heavy building construction.

Always a very staunch Democrat, he has served his party well, and has been
honored by it most signally. Elected to represent his district in the Iowa
State Legislature, he served during the Twenty-sixth and a special session, and
secured much constructive legislation for Scott County and the state at
large. In 1898 he was elected mayor of Davenport, and during the two years in
office he gave great satisfaction to the people of his city. In 1900 he was
sent to the Democratic National Convention as delegate at large. From the
inception of the Davenport Park System, of which the people are justly proud, to
the present he has been identified with it as engineer, member and president
of the park board. He has been a member of the Iowa State Board of Education
since its organization in 1909, and is now its president. His business
interests are diversified, and embrace lumber and farm interests in the South,
and oil lands in Oklahoma. Instrumental in organizing the Davenport Industrial
Commission, he has been its president since 1925. He is a member of the
board of directors of the Davenport Public Museum.

On September 29, 1928, President Coolidge appointed Mr. Baker a member of an
emergency board under the terms of the railroad labor act, to investigate
and report to him within thirty days regarding the rail dispute among railroads
in western territory. Associated with him on this board were: James R.
Garfild, of Cleveland, Ohio' Walter P. Stacey, chief justice of the North
Carolina Supreme Court; Davis R. Dewey, professor of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology; and Chester H. Howell, of Berkeley, California, the latter
formerly a member of the California Railroad Commission, and now an editor.
The local press in commenting on the appointment of Mr. Baker said in part:

"This is the first time that an emergency board for the settlement of
railroad wage disputes has seen appointed by the President. The recently enacted
railway labor act, which supplants the old railway labor act, which supplants
the old railway labor commission, provided a permanent Federal board which
shall settle all disputes.

"Failing to settle a dispute, however, the Federal board must report to the
President, who then may appoint an emergency board. The law provides that
while this board is investigating neither party in teh dispute may make any
changes in original conditions for thirty days. This provision has been taken
to mean that there can be no strike during that time.

"It is generally believed that appointment of such a board will defer a
strike for a least sixty days. The conductors and trainmen on the roads affected
had voted to strike, subject to the call of the proper offices."

The work of this emergency board is a matter of history, and is especially
interesting as being the first efforts made along a new line.

In 1879 Mr. Baker was married to Miss Clara I. Poole, now deceased, who was
born in New York, and three children were born to their marriage, namely:
Ethel, who is the wife of L. H. Brandt; Georgie E., who is the wife of R. E.
Risley; and Sue, who died in 1919. Mr. Baker is an Episcopalian. He belongs to
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and has always been zealous in
behalf of his order. So long a leader in state politics and development
projects, Mr. Baker's scope of usefulness has been broadened, and his future is
looked forward to by those who have long recognized his superior abilities and
attainments, both as an engineer and citizen.