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. 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. with honors in 1957 and practiced law with the Houston firm of Andrews and Kurth from 1957 to 1975. His positions on Israel would be considered anti-Israeli, perhaps even heretic, in todays GOP and the former secretary of state knows it. 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. Baker served in this role through 1992. Baker met his first wife, the former Mary Stuart McHenry, of Dayton, Ohio, while on spring break in Bermuda with the Princeton University rugby team. 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. Baker attended The Hill School, a boarding school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Sep 24th 2020. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Newhouse, John. Baker received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991 and has been the recipient of many other awards for distinguished public service, including Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson Award, the American Institute for Public Service's Jefferson Award, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Award, The Hans J. Morgenthau Award, The George F. Kennan Award, the Department of the Treasury's Alexander Hamilton Award, the Department of State's Distinguished Service Award and numerous honorary academic degrees. In order to understand what's going on in Ukraine from Vladimir Putin's point of view, you have to go back to 1990 when the Soviet Union was collapsing. [52], Baker began service on the Rice University board of trustees in 1993.[53]. 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.. More below about Doug Baker's appointment by Bush in Nov 2001. But the report about his comments had such resonance because his policies were perceived to be skeptical of Israel.. Congressman Lee H. Hamilton have served as the co-chairs of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan blue-ribbon panel examining a forward-looking approach to Iraq. "But the drains have great power, and there are cases where adults have been held down and drowned because of them. Amidst the growing support of Saddam Hussein in Palestine, due to his opposition toward Israel, and his invasion of Kuwait, and the beginning of the Gulf War, Baker decided that he would make some moves towards developing communications between Israel and Palestine. Many of Baker's concerns proved correct, and the project became a key factor in the company's downfall. [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]. [26], The 1992 election was complicated by the on-again-off-again candidacy of Ross Perot, who would end up taking 19% of the popular vote. Bush then encouraged Baker to become active in politics to help deal with the grief, something Bush had done when his daughter, Pauline Robinson (19491953), died of leukemia. James A. Baker III is an American government official, political manager, and lawyer who occupied important posts in theRepublicanpresidential administrations of the 1980s and early 90s, including that of U.S. secretary of state (198992). Vise, David A.. "Former Secretary of State Baker Joins Carlyle Group". Browse 964 james a. baker iii stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. "Unfortunately, it shouldn't take a death to make people more wary," Paul said. 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. 1990, statement of James A. Baker III. His team included Dennis Ross and many others who were soon appointed to the new Bush Administration. Operators Accused of Fraud. (1957) from The University of Texas at Austin and began to practice law in Texas. From 9 A.M. to 11:45 A.M. alone, the White House comment line received more than 400 calls about Baker, two-thirds of them positive, the rest negative.. Baker was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008.[43]. 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. He served as the nation's 61st secretary of state from January 1989 through August 1992 under President George H.W. Adventures and Lessons from an Unexpected Public Life by III, James Baker and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com. 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. "Profiles: The Tactician". 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. Baker is a leader of the Climate Leadership Council, along with Henry Paulson and George P. James A. Baker III '52: A Tribute to George Shultz '42 first appeared in the December 2021 issue of the Princeton Alumni Weekly. Born in Houston, Baker attended The Hill School and Princeton University before serving in the United States Marine Corps. 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.". He served in that capacity until 1985. 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. Secretary Baker made clear to us that he thinks President Trump has leaned too heavily in one direction when it comes to Middle East peace, Peter Baker told Haaretz. Bakers Historic Contributions, Statement: Secretary Baker on the Death of Bob Dole. Baker ran Bush's unsuccessful campaign for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination, but made a favorable impression on the Republican nominee, Ronald Reagan. Bush, as well as Reagan's treasury secretary and Bush's secretary of state, told his biographers Susan Glasser and Peter Baker (no relation) during a virtual event Friday that he supports . Adventures and Lessons from an Unexpected Public Life was published in October 2006. James Baker Oral History at Houston Oral History Project, November 20, 2007. In the Trump-led Republican Party of 2020, that position is shared by very few. They have one child. But did Baker ever actually say it? Major gifts provide the funds necessary for the Baker Institute to explore new areas of study and research, and expand current programs. 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. 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. James Addison Baker Work Hard, Study.and Keep Out of Politics! 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. Through the internships on campus and beyond, Rice students can explore careers in public policy, or simply become better informed about important issues of the day. He was a fifth generation. 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. Rising from a comfortable beginning, James A. Baker, III took his The son of a prosperous Houston attorney, Baker graduated from On James Baker's . A native Houstonian, Baker graduated from Princeton University in 1952. In March 1997, Baker became the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. According to Fairfax County police, the whirlpool was next to a swimming pool area and was not a hot tub. James Baker III, Self: The American Ruling Class. Eventually, he softened it a bit, allowing Netanyahu to enter the building but barring him from visiting the top floors where high-ranking officials had their offices, limiting his access to low-level staffers only. After Bush accepted the vice presidential slot on a ticket headed by Ronald Reagan that year, Baker joined Reagans campaign staff as a senior adviser. Baker attended The Hill School, a boarding school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He has been married to Susan Garrett Winston since 1973. Koch wrote that during a recent White House meeting Baker had responded to criticism of his tough approach to Israel by saying, Fuck em. But James Baker III, the Houston lawyer who rode shotgun for Jerry Ford, George Bush, and Ronald Reagan in their presidential campaigns, plans to keep a low profile in the White House. 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. In May 1990, Soviet Union's reformist leader Mikhail Gorbachev visited the U.S. for talks with President Bush; there, he agreed to allow a reunified Germany to be a part of NATO. In December 2003, President George W. Bush appointed Baker as his special envoy to ask various foreign creditor nations to forgive or restructure the approximately $100 billion in international debts owed by the Iraq government which had been incurred during the tenure of Saddam Hussein. 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". 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. [19] Soviet states forced action by holding referendums on independence. However, Baker changed his mind about running when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. In 1973 and 1974, in the wake of the Nixon Administration's implosion over Watergate, Baker returned to full-time law practice at Andrews & Kurth.[9][10]. Bakers grandson, was born in 1930 to the wealthy Baker family and attended Princeton University. Israel, a country Baker visited countless times during his four years as President George H.W. Son of James A. Baker, Jr. and Ethel Bonner Baker. In 2000, Baker served as chief legal adviser for George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential election campaign and oversaw the Florida recount. Omissions? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. A 2008 film Recount covers the days following the controversial election. 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. Texas on the Potomac: James "Jim" Addison Baker, III. Updates? He was previously married to Mary Stuart McHenry. He had Richard Darman of Massachusetts as his Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. Baker, no relation, is the co-author of "The Man Who Ran Washington: the Life and Times of James Baker III." He wrote the book with his wife, "New Yorker" correspondent Susan Glasser.. [18] Privately, Bush ignored Baker's assurances and later pushed for NATO's eastwards expansion. He graduated cum laude with an A.B. 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. 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. 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 (ISBN 0-399-14087-5). Delivering research and analysis on the effects of major U.S. fiscal policies. In 199091 he helped orchestrate the international coalition that opposed Iraqs invasion of Kuwait. Focusing on U.S. space policy and the future of space travel. "It was functioning perfectly," Lubas said. The book also shows how much the Republican Partys approach to Israel has changed over recent decades. Baker and his boss, the 41st president, were two of the most influential figures in GOP politics from the 1970s onward. 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). Josh White was The Washington Post's America desk editor. Corporations can become involved with the institute in a number of ways and see the benefit from the research conducted by our fellows and scholars. . State of Denial, a book by investigative reporter Bob Woodward, says that White House Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, urged President Bush to replace Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld with Baker following the 2004 election. 492, 505. United States Secretaries of the Treasury, List of international trips made by secretaries of state of the United States, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Baker&oldid=1141376173, Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, George H. W. Bush administration cabinet members, United States Under Secretaries of Commerce, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes from November 2019, All Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes, Pages using Sister project links with wikidata namespace mismatch, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 19:21. In this telling, the target of his ire was an interest group, not Jews as a whole. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Baker, U.S. Department of State - Office of the Historian - Biography of James Addison III Baker, Miller Center - Biography of James A. Baker, James Addison Baker - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Iraq Study Group before U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. Secretary Baker himself is actually a pretty religious person, but hes not a favorite of the evangelical wing of the party, which has long viewed him with suspicion, Peter Baker added. Climate Leadership, Policy & Political Thoughts on the Current Crisis, State Dept. It turns out the full story is more complicated than how most people remember it. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. He resigned as Treasury Secretary to manage Bush's successful 1988 campaign for president. 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. [58] Another granddaughter is Rosebud Baker, a stand-up comedian.[59]. Andrew Baker, a chaplain during the Rev. Neither Koch nor Safire named a source, but the former mayor later acknowledged in a book that Kemp was the one who tipped him off., Peter Baker and Susan Glasser interviewed both Kemp and James Baker about the episode. 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). His wife's influence led Baker to politics and the Republican Party. 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. A lawyer by training, he practiced law in Houston with the firm of Andrews & Kurth for more than twenty years. Together they had four sons, including James Addison Baker IV, a partner at Baker Botts. Baker also led presidential campaigns for Presidents Gerald Ford, Reagan and Bush over the course of five consecutive presidential elections . Work Hard, Study.and Keep Out of Politics! 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.