BAKER, GEORGE FISHER American finan cier, was born in Troy, N. Y., March 27, 1840. When he was eight years old his family removed to Brooklyn, N. Y., and later to Williamsburg, N. Y. Most of his boyhood was spent at Dedham, Mass. After a brief period of schooling at Williamsburg, N. Y., he entered Seward university, Florida, N.Y., at which he gradu ated at the age of 16. From 1858 to 1863 he was a clerk in the State banking department, his services being interrupted for six months at the outbreak of the Civil War, when he acted as secre tary to Gov. E. D. Morgan of New York. When the national banking system was created in 1863, John Thompson and his sons, Samuel C. and Frederick F. Thompson, with Baker, estab lished the First National Bank of New York city. Baker received a position as teller and was offered on credit all the stock he wanted. Baker refused, however, to go into debt, and bought only 3o shares with his savings.
The bank at first grew slowly, dealing chiefly in Government bonds; but when, in 1865, Baker became cashier and active head it began to expand rapidly, being admitted to the Clearing House in 1868. Baker was frequently consulted by the secretary of the Treasury and in 1877 he became president of the bank, the policy of which he continued to direct with such success as to make it one of the strongest banking institutions in America. In 1882 he acquired the Richmond and Danville railroad, which was the nucleus of a group reorganized as the Southern railway. Later he obtained control of the Jersey Central and the Delaware, Lacka wanna and Western railways, when these systems were in difficulty.
In addition to the presidencies and directorships of numerous powerful corporations, he was president of the Metropolitan Opera House Association. His benefactions included large gifts to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to the Red Cross and to uni versities, including one of $6,000,000 for the Graduate School of Business Administration of Harvard.