The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-09-12
High Tribute Is Paid
Late Gen. J. H. Baker
From Tuesdays Daily.


members of the Minnesota State His
torical society last night. Memorials
were read. Two of these were from
his fellow-townsmen-Judge Lorin
Cray and Attorney Thomas Hughes.
Mr.. Cray referred to the generals
distinguished career as soldier and
statesman and his general qualities
which endeared him to a large circle
of friends. Mr. Cray was unable to
attend the meeting in ST. Paul last
night, but he sent the following to
be read:
General James H. Baker, a life
member of the Minnesota State His
torical society, died at his home in
the city of Mankato in this state
on May %, 1913
General Baker was born at Monroe,
Butler county, Ohio, on the 9Th day of
May, 1929. He was the son of Henry
Baker, NJ. D., and Hannah Heaton
Baker. In his youth he attended the
Firnian academy at Middletown, Ohio,
and later the Ohio Wesleyan univer-
sity. For a period of time he edited
The Sciota Gazette at .Chillicothe,
Ohio, it then being the oldest news
paper in the state. He served as
secretary of state of Ohio from 1854
to 1856, when Salmon P. Chase was
governor of the state. In 1857, he
came to Minnesota, and shortly there
after located with his family in Blue
Earth county. He was elected secre-
tary of state in 1859, and again in
1861. In 1862 he was commissioned
by Governor Alexander Ramsey colo
mel of the Tenth Minnesota Volun-
teers, then being recruited for serV
ice in the war of the rebellion. +
Fought Against Indians.
He served with his regiment the
first year in the campaign against the
Sioux Indians, and in the fall of
1868, with his regiment went south.
At the close of the war General
Baker was appointed commissioner
of pensions, and, afterward surveyor
general for Minnesota. In 1881 he
was elected state railway commits
sioner in which office he served two
terms. For a time General Baker
was the editor and proprietor of The
Mankato Free Press.
A goodly portion of his life in
Blue Earth county was spent on a
beautiful farm owned by him near
Rapidan, where he personally en-
gagged in agriculture, in which he
was always much interested and
very progressive.
Man of Great Power.
General Baker was always much
interested in the early history of
Minnesota, and was never more at
home than at the meetings of the
old settlers of his county and state.
He was pre-eminently social man,
an easy, fluent, and very interesting
conversationalist, and hospitable to
fault, he was never more happy than
when he was surrounded by his
friends whom he always delighted to
entertain. He was consistent at
tendant and supporter of the Metho-
dist church and belonged to the
Masonic order, as well as to the
Elks, the Grand Army of the Re-
public and Loyal Legion. He was
a power to be reckoned with in poll
tics, and his influence was always
felt in the civic and social life of
the community in which he lived, and
always for the betterment of condi-
-, orti
The life of General Baker stands
out as one of pronounced individual
ity, and of great strength of pur-
pose.
On September 25, 1851, he was
married to Rose Lucia Thurston at
Delaware Ohio, who died March 20,
1873. On December %, 1879, he was
married to Miss Zula Bartlett, who
survives him and now resides on the
homestead in Mankato.
General Baker was laid away in
beautiful Glenwood cemetery in Man.
kato, his funeral, held on Wednesday,
May 2S 1913, having been largely
attended.
Memorial BY MIR. Hughes.
The memorial read by Mr.. Hughes
touched upon the ''The Literary
Work of General Baker,:
The late General James H. Baker
was man of many splendid talents.
Eminent as he was as an orator,
warrior and statesman he also pos.
| sessed rare talents as an author.
His numerous and valuable histori-
cal and biographical contributions
found in the published annals of this
society attest this fact Among
these papers are: History of Lake
| Superior, "The Sources of the Mis-
sissippi River" Transportation in
Minnesota" History of the Mime
sofa Valley" and "The Lives of the
| Governors of Minnesota" All these
] papers show great research and a
| mastery selection and presentation
of the mass of material their author
was always able to discover.
His Acute Mind.
The general had very acute
mind and retentive memory and his
long life spanned one of the most
eventful periods of the worlds his
tory, and, so far as the same re-
lated to the Middle West" of our
own countrv hn had q nerSonal az