The son of a prosperous Houston attorney, Baker graduated from Princeton University in 1952 and then spent two years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He earned a Bachelor of Laws (1957) from the University of Texas School of Law and began to practice law in Texas. But the former secretary of state was portrayed for many years as anti-Israeli, in large part because of the infamous Fuck the Jews quote. in history from Princeton University in 1952 after completing a 188-page senior thesis, titled "Two Sides of the Conflict: Bevin vs. Bevan", under the supervision of Walter P. He served in that capacity until 1985. However, Baker changed his mind about running for Congress when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer; she died in February 1970. All serious issues that Palestine sought to discuss, such as elections and representation in the Israeli government, were delegated to Egypt for decisions to be made. In 1995, Baker published his memoirs of service as Secretary of State in a book entitled The Politics of Diplomacy: Revolution, War and Peace, 19891992 (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN0-399-14087-5). [58] Another granddaughter is Rosebud Baker, a stand-up comedian.[59]. Israeli officials and public were highly offended due to the tone of his speech, though his address called for little more than his predecessors. Fax: 713-348-5993. Delivering research and analysis on the effects of major U.S. fiscal policies. When Bush was elected, he only received 29% of Jewish voters' support, and his reelection was thought to be imminent, so there was little pressure on the administration to make bold moves in diplomatic relations with Israel. The event, sponsored by the James Baker . Going it alone is not an option.. Facebook gives people the power. His team included Dennis Ross and many others who were soon appointed to the new Bush Administration. with honors in 1957 and practiced law with the Houston firm of Andrews and Kurth from 1957 to 1975. During the making of the film Baker was interviewed. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. James Baker, in full James Addison Baker III, (born April 28, 1930, Houston, Texas, U.S.), American government official, political manager, and lawyer who occupied important posts in the Republican presidential administrations of the 1980s and early 90s, including that of U.S. secretary of state (198992). His friends . James Addison Baker was born in Houston, Texas at 1216 Bissonnet, to James A. Baker, Jr. (1892-1973) and Ethel Bonner (born Means) Baker (August 6, 1894 - April 26, 1991). When youre serious about peace, call us., A day later, the authors note, Baker sent flowers to the White House operators to apologize for subjecting them to a flood of calls by giving out their phone number instead of his own. Baker III and the late Bush enjoyed a close 60-year friendship forged on the tennis courts. The son of a prosperous Houston attorney, Baker graduated from On James Baker's . American lawyer and statesman (born 1930), This article is about the politician. She died of breast cancer in February 1970. Newhouse, John. Bakerwho served on George W. Bush's Homeland Security Councilis the son of James Baker, who for more than a decade was one of the most powerful people in Washington, serving from 1981 to. Reagan rejected the Phillips-Wright request, but in 1985, he named Baker as United States Secretary of the Treasury, in a job-swap with then Secretary Donald T. Regan, a former Merrill Lynch officer who became Chief of Staff. Hall. He also served as Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Treasury for Reagan and as Secretary of State for Bush. . After two years of active duty as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, he entered The University of Texas School of Law at Austin. Baker was interviewed during the making of the film, and British actor Tom Wilkinson portrayed him in it. In 1981, Baker was named White House Chief of Staff by President Ronald Reagan, in spite of the fact that Baker managed the presidential campaigns of Gerald Ford in 1976 and of George Bush in 1980 opposing Reagan. "It was functioning perfectly," Lubas said. Bush. Ron Sachs/CNP for NY Post After leaving the FBI, Twitter seemed eager to hire Baker. The tall Texan with the impassive stare ranks as the only person to have served as White House chief of staff,. James Baker Oral History at Houston Oral History Project, November 20, 2007. President George H.W. Also, his son William Winston, though not as yet called up, was in the Army Special Forces. In 1973 and 1974, Baker returned to full time practice of law at Andrews & Kurth. Before the 1988 election, he and a team of some Middle Eastern policies experts created a report detailing the Palestine-Israel interactions. In 1981, Baker was named White House Chief of Staff by President Ronald Reagan, in spite of the fact that Baker managed the presidential campaigns of Gerald Ford in 1976 and of George Bush in 1980 opposing Reagan. James Baker was the latest in a long line of James Bakers. Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved, the fight in Congress over the loan guarantees. Baker attended The Hill School, a boarding school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Ray Covey, HP staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Baker Hall MS-40, Suite 120 He remained in the Marine Corps Reserve until 1958, and rose to the rank of captain. [10] Winston had two sons and a daughter with her former husband. Browse 964 james a. baker iii stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. In the Trump-led Republican Party of 2020, that position is shared by very few. Providing new insights on the role of economics, policy and regulation in the performance and evolution of energy markets. After calming down a bit, he settled for declaring Netanyahu persona non grata, barring him from even entering the doors of the State Department. Despite pleas from his Middle East adviser, Dennis Ross, Baker refused to change the decision. Former Secretary of State James Baker III gives a eulogy during the funeral for former President George H.W. [12] Baker resigned to serve as campaign manager of Ford's unsuccessful 1976 election campaign. At one level it narrowly focuses both on verbal commitments made by the US secretary of state James Baker under President George HW Bush and the terms of a treaty signed on 12 September 1990 . James A. Baker, III, has served in senior government positions under three United States presidents. He received his J.D. Bakers grandson, was born in 1930 to the wealthy Baker family and attended Princeton University. [28], However, Baker has been criticized for spending much of his tenure in a state of inaction regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which arguably led to further infringements on Palestinian rights and the growing radicalism of Arabs and Israelis. The administration forced Israel to halt the development of the 6,000 planned housing units, but the 11,000 housing units already under construction were permitted to be completed and inhabited with no penalty. During the Reagan administration, Baker also served on the Economic Policy Council, where he played an instrumental role in achieving the passage of the administration's tax and budget reform package in 1981. In 1978, Baker ran unsuccessfully to become Attorney General of Texas, losing to future Governor Mark White. Reagan appointed Baker as his White House Chief of Staff, and Baker remained in that position until 1985, when he became the Secretary of the Treasury. In March 1997, Baker became the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. They claimed that Baker, a former Democrat and a Bush political intimate, was undermining conservative initiatives in the administration. James A. Baker III Monument 400 Texas St. Houston, TX 77002 Find Parking The City of Houston named a small portion of Sesquicentennial Park Baker Common that includes a statue of James A. Baker III, as well as plaques commemorating the families contributions to the city. (Read James Bakers Britannica essay on isolationism.). . Baker was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008.[43]. [11] He served until May 1976, and was succeeded by Edward O. James Addison Baker III, n le 28 avril 1930 Houston (Texas), est un avocat, , diplomate et homme politique amricain, membre du Parti rpublicain, ancien secrtaire au Trsor de Ronald Reagan entre 1985 et 1988 et ancien secrtaire d'tat de George H. W. Bush de 1989 1993. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir came to visit the White House in April 1989, shortly after the new administration took office and whatever was said ended up driving an enduring wedge between the two sides. During that meeting, Shamir told Bush that settlements in the occupied West Bank shouldnt be a problem for the administrations plans to start peace talks between Israel and its neighbors. One thing that becomes clear while reading Baker and Glassers book is how much the Republican Partys stances on Israel and the Middle East have changed since the days of James Baker. Diplomacy Center Commemorates Sec. George Herbert Walker Bush then encouraged Baker to become active in politics to help deal with the grief of his wife's death, something that George Herbert Walker Bush himself had done when his daughter, Pauline Robinson Bush (19491953), died of leukemia. [19], When Ukraine became independent, Baker sought to ensure that Ukraine would give up its nuclear weapons. Darman continued in the next administration as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Baker is presently a senior partner in the law firm of Baker Botts. (1957) from The University of Texas at Austin and began to practice law in Texas. The first James Addison Baker arrived in Texas in 1852, a 31-year-old widower who came from Alabama at the urging of his late wife's family. [34], Also in 1993, Baker joined Baker Botts as a senior partner, as well as the Carlyle Group (with the title of senior counsel).[35]. 15 of 23 16 of 23 James Baker III speaks to King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Thursday afternoon during an appearance at Rice University. In 2000, Baker served as chief legal adviser for George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential election campaign and oversaw the Florida recount. He settled in Huntsville, where he practiced law,. James Baker, in full James Addison Baker III, (born April 28, 1930, Houston, Texas, U.S.), American government official, political manager, and lawyer who occupied important posts in the Republican presidential administrations of the 1980s and early '90s, including that of U.S. secretary of state (1989-92). Thomas James Baker, Jr. was born to Thomas James Baker Sr. and Frankie Pauline Anderson on July 12, 1926 and passed peacefully from this life on June 9th, 2020. by Peter Dreier. She and Baker welcomed their daughter Mary Bonner Baker, born in 1977. Its ironic that James Bakers criticism of settlements, and his confrontations with Shamir and Netanyahu, led to accusations of hostility toward Jews, when in reality its evangelicals who have moved the Republican Party away from his positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. George Kennan, James Baker, Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator Sam Nunn, and Thomas Friedman, among others, all warned in the 1990s of a new Cold War if NATO was expanded without including Russia. According to Fairfax County police, the whirlpool was next to a swimming pool area and was not a hot tub. James Baker has been featured repeatedly in the Russian investigations launched by the Justice Department. Baker served as Undersecretary of Commerce under President Gerald Ford in 1975, and ran Ford's unsuccessful re-election campaign in 1976. According to the Bethesda-based Consumer Product Safety Commission, the risks are largely from older-model drains that do not employ suggested safety measures, such as a secondary drain or a specialized cover. Developing pragmatic policy approaches to the regions enduring political, economic and societal concerns. [37] He left behind the Baker II plan, accepted as a suitable basis of negotiations by the Polisario and unanimously endorsed by the Security Council, but rejected by Morocco.[38]. "The FBI's top lawyer, James Baker, is being reassigned one of the first moves by new director Christopher A. Wray to assemble his own team of senior advisers as he tries to fend off. A new biography of the former diplomat, written by two of the most accomplished reporters in present-day Washington, corrects the record about the infamous quote which was attributed to Baker at the height of his confrontations with Likud Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, in 1991. Baker's first wife, the former Mary Stuart McHenry, was active in the Republican Party, working on the congressional campaigns of George H. W. Bush. In 1978, with George H. W. Bush as his campaign manager, Baker ran unsuccessfully for Attorney General of Texas, losing to future Texas governor Mark White. From his combat service during World War II until his time at the highest levels in American political leadership, he spent his career trying to make our country the very best it could be," said Secretary Baker. Baker also led presidential campaigns for Presidents Gerald Ford, Reagan and Bush over the course of five consecutive presidential elections . He also served as Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Treasury for Reagan and as Secretary of State for Bush. BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times The Washington Post Fortune BloombergFrom two of America's most revered political journalists comes the definitive biography of legendary White House chief of staff and secretary of state James A. Baker III: the man who ran Washington when Washington ran the world.For a quarter-century, from the end of Watergate to the aftermath of the Cold . He is known for The American Ruling Class (2005), The Bush Years: Family, Duty, Power (2019) and Countdown to Zero (2010). For a quarter century, every Republican president relied on Baker to manage his campaign, his White House, his world. [18] In the Bush administration, Baker was a proponent of the notion that the USSR should be kept territorially intact, arguing that it would be destabilizing to have the USSR's nuclear arsenal in multiple new states. It concluded with his service as White House chief of staff and senior counselor to President Bush from August 1992 to January 1993. He was previously married to Mary Stuart McHenry. Advancing data-based policies that promote health and well-being in the U.S. and around the world. [54] Mary Stuart Baker (Mary Stuart was her full first name) died of breast cancer in February 1970. Get email notification for articles from Amir Tibon. Bibi Banks on Trump, but History Is Not on His Side, For Better or Worse, George H.W. Proud grandfather and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III dared graduates of his alma mater, The Hill School, on Saturday to be revolutionaries. On June 15, 2002, Virginia Graeme Baker, the seven-year-old granddaughter of Baker, daughter of Nancy and James Baker IV, was the victim of lethal suction entrapment in an in-ground spa. "But the drains have great power, and there are cases where adults have been held down and drowned because of them. Originally Baker had been a Democrat, although he had been too busy trying to succeed in a competitive law firm to worry about politics and he considered himself apolitical. [citation needed], His son, James A. Baker III, is the political figure especially known from the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. His positions on Israel would be considered anti-Israeli, perhaps even heretic, in todays GOP and the former secretary of state knows it. The World Justice Project works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity. Baker ran Bush's unsuccessful campaign for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination, but made a favorable impression on the Republican nominee, Ronald Reagan. "G.O.P. For 12 years, from 1980 to 1992, James A. Baker III operated as one of the most powerful non-elected officials in Washington, serving first as President Ronald Reagan's chief of staff and later . Baker managed Reagan's 1984 re-election campaign in which Reagan polled a record 525 electoral votes total (of 538 possible), and received 58.8 percent of the popular vote to Walter Mondale's 40.6 percent. Everybody over there should know that the [White House] telephone number is 1-202-456-1414, he said. Several people who were at the party then tried to revive the girl, who was taken by helicopter to Inova Fairfax Hospital and pronounced dead. More below about Doug Baker's appointment by Bush in Nov 2001. James A. Baker III served in senior government positions under three United States Presidents and was a central figure in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George Bush in the 1980s and early 1990s. Biography of the GOP elder statesman chronicles his battles with Israel, including the time he barred Netanyahu from entering the State Department. 01/31/1978 - James Baker III, candiidate for Texas Attorney General, speaks to news media. He also played a prominent role in the Florida recount for the current president. Phone: 713-348-4683 His son James A. Baker Jr. was called Captain Baker for his time in the Houston Light Guards, a uniformed company of the state's National Guard formed by Confederate veterans after. "The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III," by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser. "No world leader has a bigger place in the history of the late 20th century than Mikhail Gorbachev, for the pivotal role he played in the peaceful end of the Cold War," wrote former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, in an op-ed. James Addison Baker III[note 1] (born April 28, 1930)[1] is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. [13] He served in that capacity until 1985. Baker and his son are partners in the law firm of Baker Botts, which has offices in Washington and in the elder Baker's home town of Houston. [19] Soviet states forced action by holding referendums on independence. High-Powered D.C. His father was a partner of Houston law firm Baker Botts.Baker has a sister, Bonner Baker Moffitt. Baker served in this role through 1992. Bush. On October 9, 2006, the Washington Post quoted co-chairman Baker as saying "our commission believes that there are alternatives between the stated alternatives, the ones that are out there in the political debate, of 'stay the course' and 'cut and run'". As Treasury Secretary, he arranged the Plaza Accord and the Baker Plan. The authors explain that as the quote spread, it would be repeated by others without the brackets, shortened to Fuck the Jews, an even cruder version than Koch originally alleged., The real story behind the inflammatory comment, the authors write, stemmed from Bakers long-running feud with [Housing Secretary] Jack Kemp, who had told Koch about the episode. Baker also served as Secretary of the Treasury from 19851988 in the second Reagan administration, and Secretary of State in the George H. W. Bush administration. "It was cleaned and inspected the day before the party.". In addition to the numerous recognitions received by Baker, he was presented with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for public service on September 13, 2000 in Washington, D.C.. Baker served as chief legal adviser for George W. Bush during the 2000 election campaign and oversaw the Florida recount. He is the honorary chairman of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and serves on the board of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Contact him at bipp@rice.edu or (281) 348-4683. Tabor. Around 1983 Baker became heavily dispirited and tired due to the weight of his job; he attempted to become National Security Advisor, a change to which Reagan initially agreed, but some of Reagan's other advisers dissuaded him from naming Baker to the position. James A. Baker III., Capt. A native Houstonian, Baker graduated from Princeton University in 1952. [27], During his first eight months under the Bush administration, there were five meetings with the PLO, which is far less than his predecessors. When Bush decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 1969, he supported Baker's decision to run for the Congressional seat he was vacating. President George H. W. Bush appointed Baker Secretary of State in 1989. His wife, Susan, listens at right. According to the new biography, its far from certain those words were actually ever used by Baker. After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, he pursued a legal career. He was a regular tennis partner of George H. W. Bush at the Houston Country Club in the late 1950s. [42] Bush would appoint another G. H. W. Bush Administration veteran, Robert Gates, instead, after the 2006 midterm elections. Baker was furious, and his immediate reaction was to tell close aides hed be kicking the Israeli ambassador out of Washington. Bush Changed the Face of the Middle East. Kemp, for his part, told them that Bakers sentiment got mischaracterized by Koch and others as being anti-Israel. Baker is considered to have had a high degree of influence over the first Reagan administration, particularly in domestic policy. During the disputed presidential election of 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore, Baker played a leading role for the Bush campaign combating legal challenges filed by Gores campaign. He has been married to Susan Garrett Winston since 1973. "Most deaths from hot tubs and spas are drowning deaths that aren't related to entanglements or getting trapped," said Mark Ross, a spokesman for the consumer agency, adding that voluntary safety controls have cut down the number of dangerous drains. The 2008 film Recount covers the days following the controversial election. Read more at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. James Baker III, Self: The American Ruling Class. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [26], Baker soon decided that Aaron David Miller and Daniel Kurtzer would be his principal aides in Middle Eastern policies. Focusing on U.S. space policy and the future of space travel. Baker adroitly managed George H.W. After leaving government service, Baker became a partner in a law firm and served as a diplomatic envoy for United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan for the Western Sahara. He was the third in a succession of men named James Addison Baker, all of whom were attorneys for Baker Botts or its antecedents. In 1973, Baker and Susan Garrett Winston, a close friend of Mary Stuart's, were married. Secretary of State James Baker warned publicly, I will recommend to the President that the United States make no further contributions, voluntary or assessed, to any international organization which makes any changes in the PLO's status as an observer organization.". Shultz. He called on the Palestinians to renounce violence and recognize Israel, but also called on the Israeli leadership to lay aside, once and for all, the unrealistic vision of a Greater Israel..