Carey, Charles Henry. "History of Oregon." Vol. 3. Chicago-Portland: Pioneer Historical Pub. Co., 1922. p. 481. WILLIAM JOHN BAKER William J. Baker, a well known dealer in real estate in Hood River county, a writer of insurance and also a maker of loans for agricultural purposes and a prominent citizen of Hood River, was born across the border in Canada in 1851, of English descent, but has been a resident of the United States since he was two years old and may justly be regarded as an American product. He is a son of William and Margaret Baker. The father, an Englishman by birth, was an extensive manufacturer and also the proprietor of a prosperous newspaper. He came to America in 1840. His wife's people had located in Canada many years before that date and were classed among the early settlers of that country. In 1853 William Baker moved his family across the border and located in Iowa, where they lived for several years. It was there that William J. Baker was reared and educated. His first work was in the railroad service with which he was connected for nearly twenty years, and he still holds his membership in the Order of Railroad Conductors. In 1882 he came to Oregon and entered the service of the Oregon & Washington Railroad & Navigation Company, remaining with that company for four years. In 1886 Mr. Baker located at Hood River and commenced farming, having some thirty acres in orchard. In 1904 he abandoned the farm and opened a real estate office in Hood River, where he has been engaged in the real estate business for the past sixteen years and has aided in locating many orchardists and farmers, besides handling much city property. Mr. Baker is a large taxpayer, owning much valuable property in Hood River, where he enjoys a large measure of popularity. While in no sense a professional politician, he is an earnest supporter of the republican party and has been a delegate to many conventions. He has been a member of the city council and for several years served as a member of the school board, his interest in education being deep and abiding, believing that a nation's greatness depends in large measure upon the education of its children. In 1884 Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Florence H. Alford, a native of Pennsylvania, whose father in his day was a well-known hotel man in Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Baker are the parents of four children, namely: Mrs. H. T. DeWitt, of Hood River; Mrs. Marjorie Fouts, of Portland; William J. Baker, of Hood River; and Katharine E., a student at the University of Oregon. Mr. Baker is a member of the Masonic order; is a Master Mason, a Knight Templar and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and he is also affiliated with the Odd Fellows. In connection with his real estate business, he writes general insurance and advances loans for the purpose of acquiring farming lands or city properties, and he is regarded as one of the most substantial citizens of Hood River. ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in November 2006 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.