John Israel Baker (August 16, 1812 [1] - February 17, 1897) was an American politician and historian from Beverly, Massachusetts.
John Israel Baker (August 16, 1812 [1] - February 17, 1897) was an American politician and historian from Beverly, Massachusetts.
Baker was the Town Clerk of Beverly, Massachusetts from 1836-1856, the Essex County, Massachusetts Commissioner from 1847-1855, a Massachusetts State Senator from 1863-1864. [2] Baker was the Prohibition Party's nominee in the 1876 Massachusetts gubernatorial election. On March 23, 1894, fellow residents of the Town of Beverly voted at Town Meeting to move Beverly to a City form of government in 1895 and elect Baker its first Mayor. [3] Baker was nominated and ran unopposed. [4] Baker served as Mayor for one year (1895). [5] William Morgan, the City editor for the Beverly Daily Evening Times, [6] suggests the motivating reason for the change from a Board of Selectmen to a Mayoral form of government was that the New England Town Meeting had outgrown its usefulness [5] for the new City.
Baker co-founded the Beverly Historical Society on April 1, 1891. [7]
Baker died in Beverly on February 17, 1897. [5]
Baker's major political concerns and positions were anti-slavery, pro-temperance, pro-women's suffrage, and anything that could improve Beverly. [8] [5] Baker was a Whig until 1854, a Republican from 1854-1869, and a Prohibitionist from 1870 forward. [9]
Baker was an outspoken advocate of the right of women to participate in the political process in Massachusetts. In a September 12, 1876 address at the Women's-Suffrage State Convention of Massachusetts, the delegates issued a statement condemning Baker's political opposition, writing that "..neither the Republican nor Democratic party cares for the cause of women's-suffrage" and urging like minded allies to vote for Baker based on his pro suffrage views. [10] Baker was a member of the Prohibition party. [11]
Baker was a firm advocate and supporter of the Town of Beverly, Massachusetts. Noting that the neighborhood of Beverly Farms wished to divide (Massachusetts parlance for secession) from Beverly, Baker worked against division as a Selectman for the Town. Specifically, Beverly Farms residents stoked by wealthy summer visitors from Boston complained of high taxes, lengthy commutes between their village neighborhood and Beverly's downtown, poor representation, and the undesirable extension of public transportation into the village. The Divisionists of Beverly Farms attempted to divide four times from the Town of Beverly up until 1887. In their final attempt, they were unsuccessful when Oliver Ames, the Governor of the Commonwealth, vetoed their appeal as a result of a very public bribery scandal affecting the Massachusetts Legislature's Committee on Towns. [12]
In Swindell's 2021 analysis "The Crisis of the Commonwealth in Beverly's Civil War", [13] Swindell argues that Division was a tax haven methodology employed by wealthy landowners where they would take up residence in a town with lower taxes to escape one with higher taxes (Boston). The local residents were beholden to the wealthier visitors for their livelihoods and thus agreed to argue for division. It was, Swindell argues, one of the best examples of money in politics.
Baker was the father of Bessie Baker (deceased 1935) for whom Bessie Baker park in Beverly, Massachusetts is named. He was the brother of American Silversmith Stephens Baker (1791-1883) [14]
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly includes Ryal Side, North Beverly, Montserrat, Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing. Beverly is a rival of Marblehead for the title of being the "birthplace of the U.S. Navy".
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A residential community with a vibrant tourism industry, the town is famous for its clams, celebrated annually at the Ipswich Chowderfest, and for Crane Beach, a barrier beach near the Crane estate. Ipswich was incorporated as a town in 1634.
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party in the United States and the third-longest active party.
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William Claflin was an American politician, industrialist and philanthropist from Massachusetts. He served as the 27th Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1869 to 1872 and as a member of the United States Congress from 1877 to 1881. He also served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1868 to 1872, serving as a moderating force between the Radical and moderate wings of the Republican Party. His name is given to Claflin University in South Carolina, a historically black college founded with funding from him and his father.
Henry Forbes Bigelow was an American architect, best known for his work with the firm of Bigelow & Wadsworth in Boston, Massachusetts. He was noted as an architect of civic, commercial and domestic buildings. In an obituary, his contemporary William T. Aldrich wrote that "Mr. Bigelow probably contributed more to the creation of charming and distinguished house interiors than any one person of his time." Numerous buildings designed by Bigelow and his associates have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
The area that is now Massachusetts was colonized by English settlers in the early 17th century and became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the 18th century. Before that, it was inhabited by a variety of Native American tribes. Massachusetts is named after the Massachusett tribe that inhabited the area of present-day Greater Boston. The Pilgrim Fathers who sailed on the Mayflower established the first permanent settlement in 1620 at Plymouth Colony which set precedents but never grew large. A large-scale Puritan migration began in 1630 with the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and that spawned the settlement of other New England colonies.
Beverly Farms is a neighborhood comprising the eastern part of the city of Beverly, Massachusetts, in the state's North Shore region, about 20 miles north of Boston. Beverly Farms is an oceanfront community with a population of about 3,500, extending west from the Manchester-by-the-Sea border to another section of Beverly known as Prides Crossing. The Western boundary of Beverly Farms is in dispute. For instance, the boundaries of West Beach were defined by Chapter 157 of the Massachusetts Acts and Resolves of 1852, in terms of landmarks and property lines that existed at the time, and those are sometimes used as the boundaries of Beverly Farms. Others have demarcated the Western border as the location at which a local trolley line from downtown Beverly ended; more specifically, this location is called "Chapman's Corner" and is at the corner of Hale and Boyle's Streets.
The Fourth Party System was the political party system in the United States from about 1896 to 1932 that was dominated by the Republican Party, except the 1912 split in which Democrats captured the White House and held it for eight years.
Beverly Depot is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Beverly, Massachusetts. Located in Downtown Beverly, it serves the Newburyport/Rockport Line. It is the junction of the line's two branches to Newburyport and Rockport and is served by every train on both branches.
The 1922 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on Tuesday, November 7. Incumbent Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge was re-elected to a fifth term in office over Democrat William A. Gaston.
Charles H. Jones, was an American capitalist and philanthropist, who amassed a fortune engaging in many fields of business and industry including leather and shoe manufacturing, cattle breeding, dairy farming, and real estate development.
Cutting, Carleton & Cutting was an American architectural firm, with offices in Worcester, Massachusetts, active from 1895 to 1932.
The 1876 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 7. Incumbent Republican Governor Alexander H. Rice was re-elected to a second term in office over former Minister to Great Britain Charles F. Adams.
The 1879 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 4.
The 1881 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 8.
The 1934 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1934.
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