James F. Baker

James Francis Baker (April 2, 1864 – April 5, 1924) was an attorney and circuit court judge in Scott County during the latter part of the 19th century and the first of the 20th century. He was the father of Congressman Howard H. Baker Sr. and the grandfather of U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr.

Early life

James F. Baker was born April 2, 1864 in Campbell County, Tenn, the son of George Washington Baker Sr. (1822-1882) and Jennie Irwin (1843-1893). He had at least 10 siblings: George Washington Jr., Ewing, Lucinda, Nancy, Sarah, Mary, Martha Love and Mossie. The Baker family was from the Demory area of Campbell County, east of Jacksboro near what is now Norris Lake.

James married Helen Blanche Keen (1869-1944) on Feb. 25, 1891. She was the daughter of Alderson Thompson Keen (1840-1923) and Sarah Ann Curd (1843-1901). The marriage took place in Scott County. A.T. Keen was a major in the Union army during the Civil War, and the man chiefly responsible for convincing Gen. Ambrose Burnside to march his troops through Scott County as a route to Knoxville in 1863, when the Union seized East Tennessee from the Confederacy. Keen moved his family to Scott County after the war.

James and Helen had four children: Helen Keen (born 1894-1904), James Washington (1898-1983), Howard Henry (1902-1964) and William Doisy (1906-1983). Helen was just 10 years old when she died in 1904.

It’s commonly stated that Howard H. Baker Sr. was born in Somerset, Ky. in 1902. When the 1900 census was taken, however, James and Helen lived in Scott County’s 2nd Civil District, where he was an attorney and owned his own home. In addition to their two oldest children, five-year-old Helen and two-year-old James, they lived with Helen’s sister, 28-year-old Flora Keen, boarder Adelbert H. Doisy, and two black servants, Joseph and Mannie McDowell, ages 15 and 13.

Doisy was a familiar figure in early 20th century Huntsville, having come here from Huntsville. He originally visited as a hunter, but met and married Lina Belle West and spent the rest of his life here. He and his wife built the historic Doisy House in Huntsville. He and James Baker opened the Huntsville Supply Company store in 1897, and Doisy operated the store for many years. It was a sort of community hub, and former slave Nat Hancock was a familiar figure at the store. Adelbert Doisy likely influenced the middle name of the Bakers’ youngest son, William Doisy Baker, born in 1906.

Little information is available about the McDowell siblings who were young servants for the Bakers in 1900. They were not still with the Bakers when the 1910 census was taken and did not appear anywhere in subsequent censuses. The 1910 census found a Joseph McDowell living in St. Petersburg, Fla. as a boarder and working on the railroad. Although he was about the same age as the Joseph McDowell who was a 15-year-old servant for the Bakers in 1900, it’s not clear it’s the same person.

It’s not clear what young Helen Keen Baker died of in 1904. She was buried at Somerset City Cemetery in Somerset, Ky., where her parents, her maternal grandparents, and other members of the family were buried.

Professional life

In addition to owning Huntsville Supply Company, James F. Baker was a prominent attorney in Huntsville and served as circuit court judge.

Baker was a candidate for Congress as a Republican in 1904. Nathan W. Hale, a Knoxville Republican who had represented the district for 10 years, had retired. Baker called himself the “Country People’s Choice,” saying that Knoxville was the only Democratic county in Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District, yet had held the seat in Congress for 50 years. He asked, “Why not nominate a Country Republican for the office?” He lost the primary to Knoxville attorney Nathan W. Hale, who went on to win the general election.

Death

Baker died on April 5, 1924, of liver cancer. He was only 60 at the time. The Bakers had a history of relatively early deaths. His father, George W. Baker, was only 60 when he died, and his mother, Jennie, was only 50. His son, Howard Henry Baker, died of a heart attack at age 61.

Baker died in Knoxville. At the time of his death, the Chattanooga Times reported that he had lived in Knoxville for 12 years. The 1920 census, however, listed the Baker family in both Scott County and Knoxville. They lived on N. 4th Avenue in Knoxville. His widow returned to Scott County after his death.

Baker was buried at Somerset City Cemetery where his daughter and his in-laws had been buried. His wife would later be buried there in 1944.