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New Hampshire
Gov. Nathaniel Bradley Baker
- June 8, 1854 - June 7, 1855
- Democratic
- September 29, 1818
- September 11, 1876
- New Hampshire
- Harvard University
- Married Lucretia M. Tenbroeck; four children
About
NATHANIEL B. BAKER, the thirty-second governor of New Hampshire, was born in Henniker, New Hampshire on September 29, 1818. His education was attained at Phillips Exeter Academy, and at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1839. He studied law, and then established his legal career in Concord. He also embarked into a successful journalism career, in which he owned and published the New Hampshire Patriot. Baker first entered public service as clerk of the common pleas court, a position he held in 1845. He also served as clerk of the Merrimack County superior court in 1846; was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1850; and served as an 1852 presidential elector. Baker next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1854. During his tenure, several new banks were incorporated; resolutions condemning the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska bill both failed to pass; legislation was sanctioned that entitled women the right to make a will; and a number of new organizations, as well as several new businesses were chartered. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Baker moved to Iowa, where he practiced law and became involved in state politics. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives in 1859; and was the state adjutant general from 1861 to 1876. Governor Nathaniel B. Baker passed away in Des Moines, Iowa on September 11, 1876.
Source
New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.