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Theater District in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
 

Baker Common

 
 
Baker Common Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, September 29, 2019
1. Baker Common Marker
The marker is a monument made up of multiple stone panels and a statue of James A. Baker, III.
Inscription.

Baker Common
The Baker Family history and Houston’s history are one and the same

Few have contributed more to our city’s progress than the members of the James Addison Baker family. They pioneered Texas law, built the law firm Baker Botts, managed the trust that started Rice University, established Neighborhood Centers Inc., played key roles in business and civic development and founded the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

Judge James A. Baker
1821-1897
Born in Alabama, he moved to East Texas, practiced law and became a judge. At Baker Botts, his legal advice helped connect America’s railroads with Houston, which blossomed into a commerce hub. His firm became a leader in rail, oil and business law.

Captain James A. Baker
1857-1941
Born in Huntsville, Texas, he was a lawyer and banker who embodied Houston’s growth. He saved William Rice’s fortune from a plot, launched Rice’s planned university and served as its Board Chair for 50 years. He was the senior partner of Baker Botts.

James A. Baker, Jr.
1892-1973
Born in Houston, he was a World War I hero and a Baker Botts partner who developed Broad Acres. He was President of Graham Realty Company, Chairman of Texas National Bank, President of Trinity Petroleum Trust and Treasurer of the Chamber
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of Commerce.

James A. Baker, III
1930 -
Born in Houston, he had unrivaled national careers in public service and politics. He is the only person to be Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury and White House Chief of Staff and to lead five Presidential campaigns for three Presidents.

James A. Baker, III
Statesman, Politician, Lawyer
*****
10th White House Chief of Staff 1981-1985
67th Secretary of the Treasury 1985-1988
61st Secretary of State 1989-1992
16th White House Chief of Staff 1992-1993
*****
Public service is a small price to pay for the privilege of being a citizen in our great nation.

Early Life
James A. Baker, III is unique in American history. After graduating from Princeton University and serving as a marine, Baker married Mary Stuart McHenry, graduated from The University of Texas School of Law and joined the Houston law firm Andrews Kurth. Following his wife’s death in 1970, then-Congressman George Bush asked Baker to assist his U.S. Senate campaign. Bush lost, but Baker joined the world of politics and public service that defined the rest of his life. He married Susan Garrett Winston in 1973.

Politics & Public Service
Baker’s service at the pinnacle of American power was historic. President Gerald Ford named him Undersecretary of Commerce in 1975. He chaired Ford’s 1976 Presidential campaign.
Baker Common Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, September 29, 2019
2. Baker Common Marker
He then led four straight Presidential campaigns for Ronald Reagan and George Bush and held key government posts for them. As White House Chief of Staff for both Reagan and Bush, he is widely regarded as among the best. As Reagan’s Treasury Secretary, he spearheaded the bipartisan 1986 Tax Reform Act and the 1985 Plaza Accords.

International Diplomacy
The world was transformed when Baker was Secretary of State for President Bush. The Cold War ended peacefully, the Soviet Union dissolved and democracy spread around the world. Baker laid the diplomatic groundwork to end the wars in Central America and to reunify Germany as a member of NATO. He forged the unprecedented international coalition that forced Iraq from Kuwait, organized the Madrid Peace Conference between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors and negotiated three arms reduction treaties with Moscow.

Later Life
Baker’s public service continued after leaving government and joining Baker Botts. He founded the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. Representing the United Nations, he sought to resolve the conflict in Western Sahara. He became Special Presidential Envoy to restructure Iraq’s sovereign debt in 2003. He and Lee Hamilton chaired the 2006 Iraq Study Group, which provided a bipartisan way forward for that war-torn country. He and Susan Baker have 8 children and 17
Baker Common Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, September 29, 2019
3. Baker Common Marker
grandchildren.
 
Erected 2010.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #38 Gerald R. Ford, Jr., the Former U.S. Presidents: #40 Ronald Reagan, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #41 George H.W. Bush series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.
 
Location. 29° 45.839′ N, 95° 21.913′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in the Theater District. Marker is on Preston Street east of Bagby Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker, monument and "Baker Common" are on the southern side of Sesquicentennial Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Houston TX 77002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Horace Dickinson Taylor (a few steps from this marker); Hogg Building (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Auditorium Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Magnolia Brewery Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Kennedy Bakery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Market Square (approx. 0.2 miles away); Houston Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade (approx. ¼ mile away); Houston Infirmary (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.
 
Baker Common Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, September 29, 2019
4. Baker Common Marker
Baker Common Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, September 29, 2019
5. Baker Common Marker
Baker Common Marker in the distance at Sesquicentennial Park. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, September 29, 2019
6. Baker Common Marker in the distance at Sesquicentennial Park.
James A. Baker, III at Baker Common image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, September 29, 2019
7. James A. Baker, III at Baker Common
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. This page has been viewed 351 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on October 1, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.

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Mar. 18, 2024