George Ellis Baker

George Ellis Baker (March 16, 1816 – October 2, 1887) was an American merchant, town clerk and state legislator.

Early life Baker was born on March 16, 1816, in Dedham, Massachusetts. He was the eldest son of six children born to John Baker (1780–1843) and Patty ( Ellis) Baker (1791–1876). His father served as the sheriff of Norfolk County from 1834 until his death in 1843. His brother was Fisher Ames Baker, a prominent and successful attorney who had served in the Civil War.

Baker was descended from Richard Baker, who landed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and settled in Dorchester. After five generations in Dorchester, the Bakers moved to Dedham, Massachusetts.

Career Baker moved to Troy, New York, where he opened a shoe store. The business was not a success, so he relocated again to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the early 1840s before opening another shoe store on Maiden Lane in Manhattan. While this store failed to catch on, Baker successfully became involved in politics. She was a daughter of James Stevens and granddaughter of Capt. William C. Stevens of the Continental Army. Together, they were the parents of:

George Fisher Baker (1840–1931), who married Florence Tucker Baker, a daughter of Benjamin Franklin Baker, in 1869. Martha Elizabeth Baker (1842–1910), who married banker Grant Barney Schley. Eveline Frances Baker (1844–1867), who died unmarried at age 23.

Baker died in Washington, D.C., on October 2, 1887. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery there. His widow died in 1903 and was also buried in Washington, D.C. (who married Edith Brevoort Kane; their daughter Elizabeth married John M. Schiff and their son, George F. Baker III married Frances Drexel Munn, a daughter of Mary Astor Paul and member of the Drexel banking family). Grant Barney Schley Jr.; Evander "Van" Baker Schley (who married Sophie Beverly Duer, a granddaughter of U.S. Representative William Duer, in 1931); Evelyn Baker (wife of Max Howell Behr, brother to Karl Behr) and aviator Kenneth Baker Schley.