Raymond Baker (1878-1935): Director of US Mint

 

Raymond Baker's NY Times obit

Raymond Baker was a wealthy United States businessman who was Director of the United States Mint from 1917 to 1922. 

He was born in Eureka, Nevada on November 22, 1877 to George Washington Baker and the former Mary Agnes Hall. His father was the lead counsel to the Southern Pacific Railroad and his brother Cleve Baker served as Nevada's Attorney General.  Raymond Baker attended the University of Nevada at Reno and then Stanford University.

After college, Baker became involved in gold mining, being one of the first investors active in Rawhide, Nevada. He became a rich man when he sold his claims and moved East, where he had a brief romantic relationship with the scandalous British romance novelist Elinor Glyn.

Baker had a longstanding interest in prison reform. In 1911, with his brother Cleve Baker serving as Nevada Attorney General, Raymond T. Baker became the warden of the Nevada State Prison, a position he held from Februar 1911 to May 1912.

In 1915, Baker traveled to Russia to become confidential secretary to San Franciscan banker George Marye, Jr., who was serving as the United States Ambassador to Russia. 

Baker family mausoleum

 

Upon his return from Russia, President Woodrow Wilson named him Director of the United States Mint in 1917. Baker subsequently held this office from March 1917 until March 1922. During World War I, the U.S. Mint played a critical role in the production of metal medals and other items needed for the war effort. Baker oversaw these operations, ensuring that the Mint contributed effectively to the national needs during the war.

Baker was involved in the issuance and promotion of commemorative coins. These coins often celebrated significant historical events and helped raise public interest in numismatics (the study or collection of currency). He also advocated for the role of the arts in minting, supporting the use of high-quality and aesthetically pleasing designs for coins. This was part of a broader movement during the early 20th century to improve the artistic quality of American coinage.

On June 12, 1918, he married Margaret Vanderbilt, the widow of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, who died aboard the RMS Lusitania. His best man at the wedding was Nevada's United States Senator Key Pittman. The couple divorced after a decade of marriage.

During the 1926 Senate elections, Baker sought election as United States Senator from Nevada on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated by the Republican incumbent, Tasker Oddie.

Baker died of coronary thrombosis in Washington D.C. on April 28, 1935, three months after suffering a heart attack.

Sources: Wikipedia, NY Times, Find a Grave