Charles D. Baker (businessman)

Alice Ghormley

​

​

(m. 1955;died 2016)​

Charles D. Baker
United States Under Secretary of Health and Human Services
In office 1983–1984
Children	3, including Charlie
Education	Harvard University (BA, MBA)
Profession	Businessman politician
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1946–1953
Rank	Lieutenant junior grade

Charles Duane Baker III (born June 21, 1928) is an American businessman and politician who served as United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services from 1983 to 1984 under President Ronald Reagan. He previously served in several departmental roles during the presidency of Richard Nixon. He is the father of the former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker.

Early life and education

Charles Duane Baker III was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. ^{[1] [2]} He was the son of Charles D. Baker Jr. (d. 1971), a prominent Republican politician from Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Eleanor (Little) Baker. His grandfather was also named Charles D. Baker (1846–1934), and was a United States Attorney and member of the New York State Assembly. ^{[3] [4]} The young Baker had two sisters, Caroline R. Baker and Nancy B. Kobick. ^[5]

He attended Baldwin High School in Baldwin, New York, and graduated in 1945. He went on to attend Harvard College, and graduated in 1951 with an A.B.

Baker spent 1946 to 1948 in the United States Navy in aviation, and returned from 1951 to 1953. In the Navy, he achieved the rank of lieutenant (junior grade). He then returned to Harvard, receiving an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1955. ^[1]

Career

He moved to Elmira, New York after graduation, where he became a buyer for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Baker served as vice president of United Research, an economic research firm, from 1961 to 1965. ^[1]

In 1965, Baker became vice president of Harbridge House, a management consulting firm, part of whose client base included the United States Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Transportation. ^[1]

Throughout his career, Baker served the following roles: United States Deputy Under Secretary of Transportation (1969), Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Policy and International Affairs (1970–1971), and Under Secretary of Health and Human Services (1984–1985). ^[6]

In 1985, he became a professor at the Northeastern University College of Business Administration. ^[7]

Personal life

He married Alice Elizabeth "Betty" Ghormley of Rochester, Minnesota (December 24, 1932 – May 21, 2016) on June 4, 1955. ^{[1] [8]}

They had three sons, including Charles Duane Jr. ^[9]

References

1. "Nomination of Charles D. Baker: hearing before the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, Ninety-eighth Congress, second session, on nomination of Charles D. Baker to be Under Secretary of Health and Human Services, August 7, 1984." S. Hrg. 98-1109.
2. "Alumnae Notes". The Smith Alumnae Quarterly. Vol. 20, no. 1. November 1928. p. 91. Retrieved January 18, 2023– via Internet Archive.
3. "Estates Appraised." October 31, 1934. The New York Times . p. 38.
4. Near, Irvin W. (1911). A History of Steuben County, New York, and Its People . pp. 578–580. The Lewis Publishing Company (Chicago).
5. "Charles B. Baker, Jr." October 9, 1971. The New York Times. p. 34 (Subscription required.)
6. "Ronald Reagan: Nomination of Charles D. Baker To Be Under Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services". The American Presidency Project. July 27, 1984. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
7. "Charlie Baker". Faculty. Northeastern University College of Business Administration. Archived from the original on April 6, 2003. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
8. Schuyler County Historical Society, ed. (2005). Schuyler County, New York: History & Families. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN   9781596520769.
9. English, Bella (October 3, 2010). "Baker: Happy days, high expectations." The Boston Globe . Retrieved November 7, 2010.