JAMES L. BAKER
pp. 23-24

Prominent among the younger members of the bar of Tompkins county is James L. Baker. Mr. Baker is descended from one of the earliest pioneers of the western part of the town of Ithaca. This pioneer was James Baker, great-grandfather of James L. Among his children was Lawrence Baker, who had a son named Jeremiah Mulford Baker, who was the father of James L. The mother of the latter was Mary J. Helms, of Montgomery, Orange county, N.Y. There was a family of six children, all but one of whom are living; four of them are sons.

James L. Baker was born in Montgomery, Orange county, on the 2d of February, 1847. Six years of his life were passed in his native town, when in 1853 his father removed to Enfield, Tompkins county, and purchased a farm of William Jewett, which has ever since remained as the homestead and still remains in possession of members of the family. His father died in October, 1882, and his mother in August, 1883.

James L. Baker attended the common schools until he was eighteen years of age, when he entered the Ithaca Academy and there continued his studies until he was twenty-one, teaching a part of each year to earn the needed money to pay the expense of his education. He first taught in the oil region of Pennsylvania, and after that in districts in this county. He had early determined upon law as his life work and began his studies in the office of Beers & Howard. He was an ardent and earnest student and was admitted to the bar on the 9th of February, 1871, having previous to that date entered the Albany Law School from which he graduated after his admission to practice, in May, 1871. Mr. Baker is one of that large and honorable class of professional and business men who was forced to rely upon his own efforts to reach the goal which his ambition desired. As before noted, a large part of the expenses of his education, both in school and as a lawyer, he provided for himself. When he graduated from the law school he found himself in debt. Returning to the office of Beers & Howard he continued reading until January 1, 1872, when he opened an office in Ithaca. He has ever since practiced alone, with the exception of intervals when he employed a salaried partner. This last mentioned fact is an indication of one of Mr. Baker’s strongest traits of character – self-reliance. While his practice has been of a general character, it has been and now is, very large, and has embraced cases of importance; but he has never felt impelled to share the responsibilities of his business with others. He has a modest and justifiable confidence in his own ability of safely represent the interests of his clients; and it is perfectly proper to state that his success has warranted his course of action. He holds the reputation of his profession high and is ever watchful of his own good repute. His industry is untiring and he never spares himself in the preparation of the cases entrusted to him. It is therefore not a marvel that he has been unusually successful in building up a large practice.

Mr. Baker is a consistent Republican in politics. He was chosen village attorney for the last time before the organization of the city government, and was the first city attorney. He has also been special county judge and was a prominent candidate for the office of county judge in 1891.

Mr. Baker is a conspicuous member of the Order of Knights of Pythias, which he entered in 1874, having been a member of Cascadilla Lodge since that time. He is a past grand chancellor of the State of New York, and past supreme representative.

Mr. Baker was married in 1878 to Annie M. Cooper, of Trumansburg, formerly of South Danby, daughter of Alanson Cooper, one of the old and most respected residents of that town.