Baker was born in Logansport, Indiana in 1898 and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1917. He took part in the Third Battle of the Aisne, the Battle of Château-Thierry, the Aisne-Marne campaign, the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, and the Meuse–Argonne offensive. After being discharged from the Marines in 1919, he immediately enlisted in the regular army, being sent to Siberia and the Philippine Islands over the course of the following four years. He died 19 February 1928 and is buried in San Francisco.