Conrad Baker

Conrad Baker ( born February 12, 1817 Franklin County, Pennsylvania, † April 28, 1885 in Evansville, Indiana ) was an American politician and from 1867 to 1873 the 15th Governor of Indiana.

Early years

Baker attended the Pennsylvania College in Gettysburg, and then studied law. After his admission to the bar in 1839, he practiced in Gettysburg in his profession. In 1841 he moved to Evansville in Indiana, where he also worked as a lawyer. In 1845 he was elected for a period in the House of Representatives from Indiana. In 1852 he was district judge for a short time; in 1856 he ran unsuccessfully for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Indiana. During the Civil War he was colonel of a cavalry regiment of volunteers from Indiana. He remained until his honorable farewell in September 1864 in the army. Then he went back to his private interests and politics. In 1864 he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Indiana.

Governor of Indiana

As the incumbent Governor Oliver P. Morton in 1865 for health reasons was temporary incapacitation, Baker took over for five months, until the return of Mortons, the business of the governor. After Morton had finally resigned from the post of governor on January 24, 1867 to enter the U.S. Senate, Baker fell to his previous office. His first task was to finish the opened his predecessor's term. In 1868, he was confirmed by the voters in this office, where he sat down by the narrow margin of 800 votes against his eventual successor Thomas A. Hendricks. Thus, he could serve until 13 January 1873. During his tenure, a women's prison was planned. The construction of a home for war veterans was tackled. In Terre Haute public school was founded and a juvenile detention center was built.

After the end of his tenure, Baker retired into private life. He remained, however, continued to work as a lawyer. Baker died in April 1885 and was buried in Evansville. He was married twice and had six children.