Bush, left, and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III talking about the Gulf War and liberation of Kuwait, during an interview January 18, 2011, in Houston. Baker was born in Houston, Texas, in 1930. Complete a form for event, media or other inquiries, and get directions and parking information for the Baker Institute. The authors, a married couple who previously co-authored a book about the rise of Vladimir Putin, present Baker as the face of what the Republican Party used to stand for and has lost in the era of Donald Trump. His team included Dennis Ross and many others who were soon appointed to the new Bush Administration. Bush asked him to run Bushs political campaign for the U.S. Senate. His son, James A. Baker, Jr., served in World War II, became a lawyer in the family firm and continued the Baker commitment to Rice. James Baker III, Self: The American Ruling Class. According to the new biography, its far from certain those words were actually ever used by Baker. Diplomacy Center Commemorates Sec. James A. Baker III. In the latter post he helped the United States reach agreement with the Soviet Union on the reunification of East with West Germany in 1990. In this candid, revealing account, Baker uses his unique perspective to take us inside those events and the personalities involved in them: the collapse of Communism, the Berlin Wall, and the. James Addison Baker was born in Houston, Texas at 1216 Bissonnet, to James A. Baker, Jr. (18921973) and Ethel Bonner (born Means) Baker (August 6, 1894 April 26, 1991). In 1973 and 1974, Baker returned to full time practice of law at Andrews & Kurth. Baker III worked as White House chief of staff and secretary of the treasury under President Ronald Reagan, and as secretary of state and White House chief of staff under President George H.W. Long active in American presidential politics, Baker led presidential campaigns for Presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush over the course of five consecutive presidential elections from 1976 to 1992. with honors in 1957 and practiced law with the Houston firm of Andrews and Kurth from 1957 to 1975. "The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III," by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser. During his tenure at the State Department, Baker traveled to 90 foreign countries as the United States confronted the . As treasury secretary, he was also chairman of the President's Economic Policy Council. Though Bush lost to Lloyd Bentsen in the election, Baker continued in politics, becoming the Finance Chairman of the Republican Party in 1971. Pursuing research and open debate to develop pragmatic drug policies based on common sense and driven by human rights interests. Alternate titles: James Addison Baker III. 's Baker Hints Iraq Plan Needs Change". In 1982, conservative activists Howard Phillips (founder of the Conservative Caucus) and Clymer Wright of Houston joined in an unsuccessful effort to convince Reagan to dismiss Baker as chief of staff. In this August 11, 1990 file photo, President George H. W. Bush is pictured with his advisers on the Middle East crisis, including Secretary of State James Baker III, right. His father was a partner of Houston law firm Baker Botts. Bush later confirmed that he made such an offer to Baker but that he declined. Also in 1993, the Enron Corporation hired Baker as a consultant within a month of his departure from the White House, and Enron said that Baker would have an opportunity to invest in any projects he developed. Baker is the namesake of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.[2]. Bush and Baker saw the comment as a commitment from Shamir not to expand settlements, whereas the Israeli premier meant the exact opposite: that he would continue to build in the occupied territories, because such building shouldnt pose a problem in his view. All three have been reported as leaning toward the policies of the Israeli Labor Party. Heather Paul, executive director of the National Safe Kids Coalition, said the accident should make people aware of the dangers posed by whirlpools and other home recreational pools. In 1975, he was appointed Under Secretary of Commerce for Gerald Ford. He previously was The Post's education editor, and he worked as an investigative reporter, a military correspondent and covered crime and courts in Northern Virginia. Baker also advised George W. Bush on Iraq. As Secretary of State, he helped oversee U.S. foreign policy during the end of the Cold War and dissolution of the Soviet Union, as well as during the Gulf War. [26], Baker soon decided that Aaron David Miller and Daniel Kurtzer would be his principal aides in Middle Eastern policies. In 2003, Baker was appointed special presidential envoy for President George W. Bush on the issue of Iraqi debt. Durham's indictment alleges that Sussmann told then-FBI General Counsel James Baker in September 2016 that he was not doing work "for any client" when he requested and held a meeting in which he . 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. [22] [55] To promote greater safety in pools and spas, Nancy Baker gave testimony to the Consumer Product Safety Commission,[56] and James Baker helped form an advocacy group,[57] which led to the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool And Spa Safety Act (15 USC 8001). They married in 1953. James Baker III was born on April 28, 1930 in Houston, Texas, USA. Ibid. [27], During his first eight months under the Bush administration, there were five meetings with the PLO, which is far less than his predecessors. Though Bush lost to Lloyd Bentsen in the election, Baker continued in politics, becoming the finance chairman of the Texas Republican Party in 1971. Climate Leadership, Policy & Political Thoughts on the Current Crisis, State Dept. [26], More tensions rose in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with a massive influx of Jewish people from the Soviet Union moved to Israel. For other uses, see, Early life, education, and pre-political career, Roles during the Bush administration and Iraq War, He is actually the fourth-generation successive James Addison Baker in his family, despite using the "III". They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. A representative for the elder Baker at his law firm said family members were unreachable as they made funeral preparations yesterday evening in Virginia. [26], After this landmark event, he did not work to further improve Arab-Israeli relations. A native Houstonian, Baker graduated from Princeton University in 1952. American lawyer and statesman (born 1930), This article is about the politician. [36] In June 2004, he resigned from this position, frustrated over the lack of progress in reaching a complete settlement acceptable to both the government of Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front. "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. 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). James West Baker (Jimmy), of Olive Branch, Mississippi, was born in Benton County, Mississippi, on April 7, 1939. Baker was furious, and his immediate reaction was to tell close aides hed be kicking the Israeli ambassador out of Washington. As a result, we missed the multiple Nobel Prize . 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'". Bush believed Shamir had lied to him and never forgave him., A month after that incident, Baker gave a speech at the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, his first-ever appearance before the large pro-Israel gathering. James A. Baker III a t nomm par le prsident Bush, le 5 dcembre 2003, comme reprsentant spcial charg de rengocier la dette irakienne. Baker blocked the recognition of Palestine by threatening to cut funding to agencies in the United Nations. Baker was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991. 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. Former secretary of state James Baker considered voting for Joe Biden in November but will instead keep backing Donald Trump, a new biography reveals, in the process outlining a key reason for. [40] In December 2003, President George W. Bush appointed Baker as his special envoy to ask various foreign creditor nations to forgive or restructure $100billion in international debts owed by the Iraq government which had been incurred during the tenure of Saddam Hussein. He served as a United Nations envoy to Western Sahara and as a consultant to Enron. James Addison Baker III, 61st Secretary of State Rise to Prominence Born in Texas on April 28, 1930, Baker attended prep school in Pennsylvania, and went on to graduate from Princeton University in 1952. (1957) from The University of Texas at Austin and began to practice law in Texas. 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. "Mother of Secretary of State Baker dies here at 96". Bakers grandson, was born in 1930 to the wealthy Baker family and attended Princeton University. He was a fifth generation. [6], From 1957 to 1975, he practiced law at Andrews & Kurth after the anti-nepotism policy of his family firm, Baker Botts, prevented him from receiving a job there.[7][8]. On September 11, 2001, Baker watched television coverage of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington DC, where Baker and representatives of Osama bin Laden's family were among those attending the annual conference for the Carlyle Group. President George H. W. Bush appointed Baker Secretary of State in 1989. Well, AIPAC wont like that, someone said. President George H.W. Studying timely issues in global economic policy as well as developmental policy in foreign countries. The son of a prosperous Houston attorney, Baker graduated from On James Baker's . Andrew Baker, a chaplain during the Rev. Tabor. Baker III and the late Bush enjoyed a close 60-year friendship forged on the tennis courts. Together they had four sons, including James Addison Baker IV, a partner at Baker Botts. He and his wife, the former Susan Garrett, currently reside in Houston and have eight children and 17 grandchildren. The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III, by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, is published by Doubleday, priced $35. 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. Bush administration. 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. "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. Learn more about the Baker Institute's leadership and get contact information for the administrative staff. Corrections? [44] The Iraq Study Group examined a number of ideas, including one that would create a new power-sharing arrangement in Iraq that would give more autonomy to regional factions. He served as the nation's 61st secretary of state from January 1989 through August 1992 under President George H.W. But the report about his comments had such resonance because his policies were perceived to be skeptical of Israel.. Reached at their McLean home yesterday, the Baker family declined to comment. What are James Bakers views on the future of international collaboration? Plan a gift that will ensure lasting, meaningful support for policy programs important to you. He was the third in a succession of men named James Addison Baker, all of whom were attorneys for Baker Botts or its antecedents. The following year, he was selected as Gulf Coast Regional Chairman for the Richard Nixon presidential campaign. They have one child. Texas Hometown: Baker was born in Houston on April 28, 1930. . When we were talking with him about this, he thought the two-state solution was still the right goal, and that there had to be compromise on both sides to reach a workable and enduring resolution of the issue.. The tall Texan with the impassive stare ranks as the only person to have served as White House chief of staff,. From 1997 to 2004, Baker served as the personal envoy of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to seek a political solution to the conflict over Western Sahara. He called for Israel to "lay aside once and for all, the unrealistic vision of a greater Israel", cease the construction of Israeli settlements in West Bank and Gaza, forswear annexation of more territory, and to treat Palestinians "as neighbors who deserve political rights". No replacement has yet been named. Baker remained active in business and public affairs after Bush's defeat in the 1992 presidential election. In the mid-2000s Baker was active on a number of government investigative committees; he served as cochair of both the Federal Commission on Election Reform (with former president Jimmy Carter) and the Iraq Study Group (with former U.S. congressman Lee Hamilton). Writing about Mr. Baker years later,. Bush. In 1970 Bakers longtime friend George H.W. 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. He resigned as Treasury Secretary to manage Bush's successful 1988 campaign for president. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991. On the C-SPAN Networks: James A. Baker III has 241 videos in the C-SPAN Video Library; the first appearance was a 1976 Statement as a Manager for the Ford Presidential Campaign . Virginia was the daughter of James A. Baker IV, who is the son of the former cabinet secretary. Israel, a country Baker visited countless times during his four years as President George H.W. Omissions? Baker helped to construct the 34-nation alliance that fought alongside the United States in the Gulf War. Vise, David A.. "Former Secretary of State Baker Joins Carlyle Group". 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. Koch wrote that during a recent White House meeting Baker had responded to criticism of his tough approach to Israel by saying, Fuck em. On March 15, 2006, Congress announced the formation of the Iraq Study Group, a high-level panel of prominent former officials charged by members of Congress with taking a fresh look at America's policy on Iraq. He married Mary McHenry in 1953 and they had four sons, James IV, Mike, John and Doug. "Bob Dole was a true American patriot who represented the very best of our country. His wife's influence led Baker to politics and the Republican Party. On January 9, 1991, during the Geneva Peace Conference with Tariq Aziz in Geneva, Baker declared that "If there is any user of (chemical or biological weapons), our objectives won't just be the liberation of Kuwait, but the elimination of the current Iraqi regime." Baker later acknowledged that the intent of this statement was to threaten a retaliatory nuclear strike on Iraq, and the Iraqis received his message. They claimed that Baker, a former Democrat and a Bush political intimate, was undermining conservative initiatives in the administration. The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III. James Addison Baker III was born in Houston at 1216 Bissonnet St., the son of James A. Baker Jr. (1892-1973) and Ethel Bonner (ne Means) Baker (August 6, 1894 - April 26, 1991). 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. Baker has a sister, Bonner Baker Moffitt. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-Chair for the World Justice Project. Israeli leaders initially thought that Baker had a poor grasp of Middle Eastern issues a perception exacerbated by his use of the term "Greater Israel" and viewed Israel as a "problem for the United States" according to Moshe Arens. U.S. Secretary of State James Baker III, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir conferring following meetings at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, September 17, 1991. [14], Baker managed Reagan's 1984 re-election campaign in which Reagan polled a record 525 electoral votes total (of a possible 538), and received 58.8% of the popular vote to Walter Mondale's 40.6%. [33] During his time at Enron, Baker tried to warn against the company's involvement with the Dabhol Power Station in India. Robert was born in 1735 and fought at King's Mountain and is believed to be the brother of the famous Rev. Bushs successful campaign for the presidential election of 1988 and thereupon was appointed secretary of state. Adventures and Lessons from an Unexpected Public Life was published in October 2006. Its a quote that has haunted former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker for almost three decades. . He served as the nation's 61st secretary of state from January 1989 through August 1992 under President George H.W. Delivering research and analysis on the effects of major U.S. fiscal policies. [10] Winston had two sons and a daughter with her former husband. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. He is also the honorary chair of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston, Texas. 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 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. Baker is a leader of the Climate Leadership Council, along with Henry Paulson and George P. December 12, 2006. Every time he speaks his mind on anything related to Israel, someone usually a right-wing pundit who supports the Netanyahu government quickly pulls the words Fuck the Jews, they dont vote for us anyway out of the archives, labeling Baker as anti-Israel or, worse, antisemitic. Updates? President George H.W. Gerald Ford in 1975, and that same year he helped Ford secure the Republican Partys presidential nomination for the 1976 election. Former Chief of Staff under President Reagan, James Baker, III (b.1930) was appointed as the sixty-seventh Secretary of the Treasury on February 3, 1985, exchanging jobs with Secretary Donald Regan. Baker also served on Reagan's National Security Council, and remained Treasury Secretary until 1988, during which time he also served as campaign chairman for George H. W. Bush's successful presidential bid. [4] His grandfather was attorney and banker Captain James A. Baker, and his great-grandfather was jurist and politician Judge James A. Baker. While serving as Treasury Secretary, Baker organized the Plaza Accord of September 1985 and the Baker Plan to target international debt. 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. 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 Hall MS-40, Suite 120 They have six sons and two daughters. Baker ran Bush's unsuccessful campaign for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination, but made a favorable impression on the Republican nominee, Ronald Reagan. Baker served in this role through 1992. Son of James A. Baker, Jr. and Ethel Bonner Baker. In March 1997, Baker became the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. He graduated cum laude with an A.B. 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. She was stuck underwater and was unable to free herself, police said.