Francis E. Baker

Francis E. Baker
Francis E. Baker
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
	In office; January 21, 1902 – March 15, 1924
Appointed by	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	William Allen Woods
Succeeded by	Albert B. Anderson
Judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit
	In office; January 21, 1902 – December 31, 1911
Appointed by	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	William Allen Woods
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Personal details
Born	Francis Elisha Baker; October 20, 1860; Goshen, Indiana, U.S.
Died	March 15, 1924 (aged 63); Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education	University of Michigan (BA); read law

Francis Elisha Baker (October 20, 1860 – March 15, 1924) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and of the United States Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit.

Education and career

Born in Goshen, Indiana, Baker received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1882 and read law to enter the bar in 1884. He was in private practice in Goshen from 1884 to 1899. He was a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 2, 1899, to January 25, 1902.^[1]

Baker was nominated by President Theodore Roosevelt on December 11, 1901, to a joint seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit vacated by Judge William Allen Woods. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 21, 1902, and received his commission the same day. On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals. Following the retirement of Justice William R. Day, Judge Baker was on Warren G. Harding‘s shortlist to replace him on the Supreme Court,^[2] but the seat ultimately went to Pierce Butler. He was a member of the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges (now the Judicial Conference of the United States) from 1922 to 1923. His service terminated on March 15, 1924, due to his death in Chicago, Illinois.^[1]^[3]

^ ^a ^b Francis Elisha Baker at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
^ ‘Successor Today Will Be Named by Harding This Week: Name of Pierce Butler Added to Those Under Consideration – Justice Pitney May Be Retired’; The Bristol Herald, November 21, 1922, p. 2
^ "Judge Baker Succumbs to Endocarditis". Oshkosh Northwestern. Chicago. United Press. March 15, 1924. p. 5. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

Legal offices
Preceded by Timothy E. Howard	Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court 1899–1902	Succeeded by John H. Gillett
Preceded by William Allen Woods	Judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit 1902–1911	Succeeded by Seat abolished
Preceded by William Allen Woods	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit 1902–1924	Succeeded by Albert B. Anderson