Israeli officials and public were highly offended due to the tone of his speech, though his address called for little more than his predecessors. For three decades and more, James A Baker III was the face of American power. 's Baker Hints Iraq Plan Needs Change". James Addison Baker Jr. (November 3, 1892 - May 21, 1973) was an American attorney, [1] banker, real estate developer, and United States Army officer from Houston, Texas. Adventures and Lessons from an Unexpected Public Life was published in October 2006. Fax: 713-348-5993. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Staff writer Maria Glod contributed to this report. In 1973 and 1974, in the wake of the Nixon Administration's implosion over Watergate, Baker returned to full-time law practice at Andrews & Kurth.[9][10]. James Addison Baker III[note 1] (born April 28, 1930)[1] is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. Adventures and Lessons from an Unexpected Public Life by III, James Baker and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com. Baker also served on Reagan's National Security Council, and remained Treasury Secretary until 1988, during which time he also served as campaign chairman for George H. W. Bush's successful presidential bid. [58] Another granddaughter is Rosebud Baker, a stand-up comedian.[59]. In 1973 and 1974, Baker returned to full time practice of law at Andrews & Kurth. The book also shows how much the Republican Partys approach to Israel has changed over recent decades. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Bush administration. Safety experts said yesterday that whirlpool drains have caused nearly two dozen deaths in the United States over the past 20 years. The email newsletter of Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy provides a snapshot of institute news, research and upcoming events. Through the internships on campus and beyond, Rice students can explore careers in public policy, or simply become better informed about important issues of the day. Endowment gifts provide the Baker Institute with permanent resources that support research programs, fellows and scholars. When Bush decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 1969, he supported Baker's decision to run for the Congressional seat he was vacating. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Baker, U.S. Department of State - Office of the Historian - Biography of James Addison III Baker, Miller Center - Biography of James A. Baker, James Addison Baker - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Iraq Study Group before U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. When George Herbert Walker Bush decided to vacate his congressional seat and run for the U.S. Senate in 1970, he supported Baker's decision to run for the congressional seat he was vacating. Haaretz.com, the online English edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, gives you breaking news, analyses and opinions about Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. Thats a testament not only to the great effort Baker invested in the Middle East peace process, but also to the central role Israel has played, and continues to play, in domestic U.S. politics: For every story in the book about shuttle diplomacy between Jerusalem and Arab capitals, theres a matching story about political fights surrounding Israel on Capitol Hill and inside the White House. The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III. In this November 21, 1990 file photo, Secretary of State James Baker is seen whispering to National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft during a press conference by President George H. W. Bush. Indeed, Baker's family was so well off that his doting. Bush then encouraged Baker to become active in politics to help deal with the grief, something Bush had done when his daughter, Pauline Robinson (19491953), died of leukemia. Bush. Texas Hometown: Baker was born in Houston on April 28, 1930. . "The whole thing is just a nightmare. Bakers Historic Contributions, Statement: Secretary Baker on the Death of Bob Dole. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. He received his J.D. James Baker was the latest in a long line of James Bakers. In a classic instance of Washington's willful self-deception, the people who work with James A. Baker III proclaim him a warm, funny Renaissance man with old-fashioned family values. After Reagan won the election, he appointed Baker White House chief of staff, a post that Baker filled until he was made secretary of the Treasury in 1985. Peter Baker told Haaretz that the secretary of state tried to explain at the time that he didnt actually say Fuck the Jews, but it got little traction and at some point he decided it was just better to move on. [26] In the meantime, Baker also tried to negotiate with the Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, in order to achieve a lasting peace between Israel and Syria. Bakerwho served on George W. Bush's Homeland Security Councilis the son of James Baker, who for more than a decade was one of the most powerful people in Washington, serving from 1981 to. James A. Baker III. Baker voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, and said prior to the 2020 election that he would do so again. A 2008 film Recount covers the days following the controversial election. My wife Lori and I flew to California to attend the memorial service for Secretary George Shultz '42 at Stanford University on October 7. [23], Baker also spent considerable time negotiating one-on-one with the parties in order to organize the Madrid Conference of October 30-November 1, 1991, in an attempt to revive the IsraeliPalestinian peace process through negotiations involving Israel and the Palestinians, as well as Arab countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.[24]. The World Justice Project works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Also in 1993, the Enron Corporation hired Baker as a consultant within a month of his departure from the White House, and Enron said that Baker would have an opportunity to invest in any projects he developed. On June 15, 2002, Virginia Graeme Baker, the 7-year-old granddaughter of Baker, daughter of Nancy and James Baker IV, was the victim of suction-pump entrapment in an in-ground spa. He also served as Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Treasury for Reagan and as Secretary of State for Bush. Andrew Baker, a chaplain during the Rev. Baker helped to construct the 34-nation alliance that fought alongside the United States in the Gulf War. Baker, Peter, and Glasser, Susan, The Man Who Ran Washington Doubleday, 2020, at pp. The book also includes a detailed account of Bakers famous testimony before Congress on peace negotiations between Israel and the Arab world, during which he said the United States cant want an agreement more than the two sides themselves. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir came to visit the White House in April 1989, shortly after the new administration took office and whatever was said ended up driving an enduring wedge between the two sides. During that meeting, Shamir told Bush that settlements in the occupied West Bank shouldnt be a problem for the administrations plans to start peace talks between Israel and its neighbors. Baker has a sister, Bonner Baker Moffitt. The group also included Martin S. Feldstein and N. Gregory Mankiw. He resigned his post as secretary of state in 1992 in order to serve as White House chief of staff while simultaneously directing Bushs unsuccessful reelection campaign. Baker warned publicly, "I will recommend to the President that the United States make no further contributions, voluntary or assessed, to any international organization which makes any changes in the PLO's status as an observer organization. During the Reagan administration, Baker also served on the Economic Policy Council, where he played an instrumental role in achieving the passage of the administration's tax and budget reform package in 1981. He called for Israel to "lay aside once and for all, the unrealistic vision of a greater Israel", cease the construction of Israeli settlements in West Bank and Gaza, forswear annexation of more territory, and to treat Palestinians "as neighbors who deserve political rights". He was previously married to Mary Stuart McHenry. In order to understand what's going on in Ukraine from Vladimir Putin's point of view, you have to go back to 1990 when the Soviet Union was collapsing. The following year, he was selected as Gulf Coast Regional Chairman for the Richard Nixon presidential campaign. No replacement has yet been named. Bushs secretary of state, is mentioned more than 150 times in the book. After the Gulf War, Baker served another stint as White House Chief of Staff from 1992 to 1993. It turns out the full story is more complicated than how most people remember it. Bush believed Shamir had lied to him and never forgave him., A month after that incident, Baker gave a speech at the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, his first-ever appearance before the large pro-Israel gathering. They had four sons together. From his combat service during World War II until his time at the highest levels in American political leadership, he spent his career trying to make our country the very best it could be," said Secretary Baker. [47], Baker serves on the Honorary Council of Advisers for the U.S.-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce. (Read James Bakers Britannica essay on isolationism.). From 1981 to 1985, he served as White House chief of staff to President Reagan. Baker's first wife, the former Mary Stuart McHenry, was active in the Republican Party, working on the Congressional campaigns of George H. W. Bush. It concluded with his service as White House chief of staff and senior counselor to President Bush from August 1992 to January 1993. "Unfortunately, it shouldn't take a death to make people more wary," Paul said. While serving as Treasury Secretary, Baker organized the Plaza Accord of September 1985 and the Baker Plan to target international debt. [55] To promote greater safety in pools and spas, Nancy Baker gave testimony to the Consumer Product Safety Commission,[56] and James Baker helped form an advocacy group,[57] which led to the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool And Spa Safety Act (15 USC 8001). In 1981, Baker was named White House Chief of Staff by President Ronald Reagan, in spite of the fact that Baker managed the presidential campaigns of Gerald Ford in 1976 and of George Bush in 1980 opposing Reagan. Reagan rejected the Phillips-Wright request, but in 1985, he named Baker as United States Secretary of the Treasury, in a job-swap with then Secretary Donald T. Regan, a former Merrill Lynch officer who became Chief of Staff. They claimed that Baker, a former Democrat and a Bush political intimate, was undermining conservative initiatives in the administration. Reagan rejected the Phillips-Wright request. George Kennan, James Baker, Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator Sam Nunn, and Thomas Friedman, among others, all warned in the 1990s of a new Cold War if NATO was expanded without including Russia. Baker was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991. in history from Princeton University in 1952 after completing a 188-page senior thesis, titled "Two Sides of the Conflict: Bevin vs. Bevan", under the supervision of Walter P. During his tenure at the State Department, Baker traveled to 90 foreign countries as the United States confronted the . For a quarter century, every Republican president relied on Baker to manage his campaign, his White House, his world. He and his wife, the former Susan Garrett, currently reside in Houston and have eight children and 17 grandchildren.