William Eli Baker
William Eli Baker (February 25, 1873 – June 4, 1954) was a United States federal judge.
Born in Beverly, West Virginia, Baker received a B.S. from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1893 and an LL.B. from West Virginia University in 1896. He was in private practice in Elkins, West Virginia from 1896 to 1921. He was a special counsel to United States Senators Stephen Benton Elkins and Henry G. Davis, both of West Virginia. He was also a prosecuting attorney of Randolph County, West Virginia from 1900 to 1912.
On April 4, 1921, Baker received a recess appointment from President Warren G. Harding to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia vacated by Alston Gordon Dayton. Formally nominated on April 14, 1921, Baker was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 3, 1921, and received his commission the same day. He served as chief judge from 1948 to 1954, assuming senior status on April 3, 1954. He served in that capacity until his death, in Beverly.
Sources
- William Eli Baker at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia 1921–1954 |
Succeeded by Herbert Stephenson Boreman |
- Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
- 1873 births
- 1954 deaths
- 20th-century American lawyers
- County prosecuting attorneys in West Virginia
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
- People from Elkins, West Virginia
- People from Beverly, West Virginia
- United States district court judges appointed by Warren G. Harding
- West Virginia lawyers
- West Virginia University College of Law alumni
- West Virginia Wesleyan College alumni
