Newton D. Baker and His Books

Cleveland, OH: The Press of Western Reserve University, 1954. First edition. First printing [stated]. Hardcover. Good in fair dust jacket. DJ has wear, soiling, and a tear in front.. [6], 85, [5] p. The author was an Ohio newpaperman for more than a quarter century, who served in both world wars and once interviewed Baker. This book addresses not only Baker's book collecting, but his reading habits and commentary found in some of the volumes. From Wikipedia: "Newton Diehl Baker, Jr. (December 3, 1871 December 25, 1937) was an American politician who belonged to the Democratic Party. He served as the 37th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1912 to 1915 and as U.S. Secretary of War from 1916 to 1921. Baker was born on December 3, 1871, in Martinsburg, West Virginia, the son of Newton Diehl Baker and Mary Ann (Dukehart) Baker. In 1892 he graduated from Johns Hopkins University. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. After receiving his law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1894, he became the private secretary to Postmaster General William L. Wilson in Washington, D.C. Baker was small and thin. He was rejected for military service in the Spanish-American War because of poor eyesight. Baker moved to Cleveland, where he became active in local politics. After serving as city solicitor from 1901 to 1909, he became mayor of the city in 1911. As a city official, Baker's main interests were public power, transit reform, and city beautification. He was a strong backer of Cleveland College, now a part of Case Western Reserve University. Baker was a considered a possible vice-presidential contender in 1912, when he worked on Wilson's behalf at the Democratic National Convention in Baltimore. Though offered the post twice, he declined to serve as Secretary of the Interior during President Wilson's first term. He and Wilson had been acquaintances since they were both at Johns Hopkins in the 1890s. In 1916, following his tenure as mayor of Cleveland, Baker and two other partners founded the law firm of Baker Hostetler. As the United States considered whether to enter World War I, President Woodrow Wilson named Baker Secretary of War, because Baker was acceptable to advocates and opponents of American participation in the conflict. The post also required legal expertise because of the War Department's role in administering the Philippines, the Panama Canal, and Puerto Rico. The New York Times called him a "warm supporter" of the President. At age 44 he was the youngest member of the Cabinet. As Secretary of War, Baker presided over the American military participation in the war in 1917-18, including the creation of a nationwide military draft. Baker selected Gen. John J. Pershing to head the American Expeditionary Forces. At Baker's insistence, Wilson made the American forces an independent fighting partner of the Allies against the Central Powers, rather than letting American troops be used to replenish British and French forces as those nations advised. At one meeting with British Prime Minister Lloyd George, he told him that "if we want advice as to who should command our armies, we would ask for it. But until then we do not want nor need it from anyone, least of all you." He was occasionally attacked by military professionals who thought him incompetent or a pacifist at heart. He said: "I'm so much of a pacifist, I'm willing to fight for it." In 1918, Wilson told Baker that he hoped he would follow him into the White House in 1920. After stepping down as Secretary of War in 1921, Baker returned to practicing law at Baker & Hostetler. For several years he was the leading proponent of American participation in the League of Nations. At the 1924 Democratic National Convention, during discussion of the party platform, Baker was the principal advocate of language committing the party to American membership in the League of Nations. After losing in the platform committee, which advocated a national referendum on the question, he raised the issue on the floor of the convention. Though he had no chance of winning when the delegates to support his position, he delivered a speech that was the highlight of the convention,