Charles Henri Baker

Charles-Henri Jean-Marie Baker (born 3 June 1955) is a Haitian industrialist and presidential candidate. He is a former member of the Group of 184. Baker was a candidate for president in Haiti's 2006 and 2010 elections.

Early and personal life

Baker was born in Port-au-Prince. His father Édouard Baker was a mulatto who was a prominent engineer, agronomist, well-known football player, and son who was the founder of the first supermarket chain in Haiti and whose father was a trader. Baker has two brothers and three sisters.

After completing his elementary education in Haiti, he traveled to the United States. In 1972 he graduated from Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California. He later attended Saint Leo University in Florida, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration in 1976. In 1975, he married Marie Florence Apaid, sister of André Apaid. He has four children and eleven grandchildren.

Business career

Baker began his business career as a manager at the age of 21 in his family-owned and operated supermarket chain. When his father became ill, he took over the family-owned 90-acre farm Habitation Dujour, which grew sugarcane, banana, and tobacco. Eventually, the land expanded another 120 acres which made it the largest flue-cured tobacco farm in Haiti, with more than 200 acres. Simultaneously, from 1982 to 1985 he worked with the tobacco growers of Haiti through the Comme il faut Company, where he held the position of Assistant to the Leaf Growing Manager.

2015 presidential election Baker ran for President in the 2015 election, centering his campaign around five pillars: agriculture, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and government transparency.