Читать книгу History of Westchester County, New York, Volume 3 - Группа авторов - Страница 10

A prominent and distinguished attorney of SingSing, Mr. Baker has for almost forty years successfully engaged in practice at the Westchester county bar. He was born in this county, March 4, 1835, a son of Quinby and Elizabeth (Dayton) Baker, and is a worthy representative of good old Revolutionary stock. The Baker family is of English origin, and tradition states that its progenitor in the New World was the chaplain on the Mayflower. Our subject's great-grandfather, Daniel Baker, was a captain in the Colonial army under General Washington, and participated.in the battle of White Plains at the time the British fleet came up the Hudson river, and the grandfather, Daniel Baker, who was a farmer, served as a soldier in the war of 1812. Quinby Baker was an inventor and was accidentally killed when our subject was quite small, having participated in the Mexican war, in which he was wounded and died from the effects of a poisoned bullet. He left three children, the others being Alonzo, a mechanic residing in Bedford, and Clarissa, now deceased. For four generations the Baker family have resided in Westchester county and have been numbered among its most worthy and progressive citizens. The Dayton family is also an old and loyal one, being well represented in the Revolution, the war of 1812 and the civil war, and is connected with the Greene family of Revolutionary fame. Our subject's maternal grandfather, Gilbert Dayton, was wounded in the war of 1812.

Reared upon a farm. Nelson H. Baker obtained his early education in the district schools and by private instruction from an Irish tutor, Thomas O'Rily. At the age of twenty-one he commenced the study of law with Francis Larkin, of SingSing, and was admitted to the bar in November, 1859, since which time he has engaged in general practice in SingSing. Early in life he became interested in political affairs, and when still a young man made the race for supervisor, and was elected. The following year he was elected justice of the peace, and filled that office for four consecutive terms. He was then appointed district attorney to fill an unexpired term of ore than two years, and at the end of that time was elected to that position, which he then held for four terms, or fourteen years in all. Since then he has given his entire attention to his private practice, making a specialty of criminal law, and has defended many noted criminals. Prominence at the bar comes through merit alone, and the high position which he has attained attests his superiority. As a fluent, earnest and convincing advocate he has but few equals. Thoroughness characterizes all his efforts, and he conducts all business with a strict regard to a high standard of professional ethics. He follows his own peculiar style and is quick to discern which course to pursue, but has always refused to prosecute a case when he has believed the prosecution to be unjust. As an attorney he ranks among the foremost in this section of the state, and he is recognized as one of the most eminent citizens of Westchester county.

On the 2nd of November, 1859, Mr. Baker was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Urmy, a native of the town of Ossining, now SingSing, who died February 21, 1898. Two sons were born to this union, Ralph and Stuart, both of whom have been well educated, and Stuart practices law and is a member of the Westchester county bar.