John Richard
Baker
Male
Australia
1866-10-06
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
1944-12-23
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
From The Adelaide Advertiser, 26 December 1944
Obituary
Death of Mr John Richard Baker – Notable career in many spheres
A wide circle of friends will learn with regret of the death of Mr John Richard Baker, senior partner in the legal firm of Baker-McEwin, Liegertwood and Millhouse, in Calvary Hospital, on Saturday at the age of 78. Mr Baker had been in indifferent health for some time, and recently resigned the chairmanship of Elder, Smith and Co., and from the board of Elder’s Trustee and Executive Co. for this reason.
The son of the late Sir Richard Chaffey Baker (first President of the Senate), and grandson of Mr John Baker, one of the pioneers of the State, he was born in 1866 and attended Whinham College before going to England to complete his studies at Eton and Cambridge. At Cambridge he was a contemporary of the late Chief Justice, Sir George Murray.
Mr Baker and the late Mr Theodore Bruce were the representatives of the Adelaide City Council on the Municipal Tramways Trust on its formation in 1906. Mr Baker served on the Adelaide City Council as councillor and alderman from 1898 until 1909. His most important work during this period was in inducing the council to support the Health Act, which he had helped to draft.
Mr Baker took an important part in commercial affairs, and was a director of many companies and solicitor for many others. He joined the board of Elder, Smith and Co. in 1927, and in 1942 was appointed chairman in succession to the late Mr J.F. Downer. He was also a director of Elder’s Trustee and Executive Co., and was chairman from 1942 until his retirement. The Wallaroo-Mount Lyell Fertiliser Co. was another company of which he was a director from 1939. He was chairman of the board from 1940 until his death.
He excelled at tennis, and is credited with having introduced the hard-hitting game into South Australia. With Robert G. Bowen he held the doubles championship of South Australia for a number of years. He was also a golfer of note, and one of the oldest members of the Royal Adelaide Golf Club, which he captained in 1901 and 1914. He held the State Golf Championship in 1900.
His other hobbies were tree culture and wood turning. At his home at Mount Lofty he had many varieties of pine and cedar trees, and was always interested to learn of new varieties, regularly receiving catalogues from all over Australia. His wood-turning shop was quite extensive and most of his friends had at some time been presented with samples of his work.
He married in 1903 Miss Mary Carstairs Rymill, daughter of the late Mr Frank Rymill. Mrs Baker survives him. A brother, Mr Robert Baker, and a sister, Miss Adelaide Baker, live in Victoria, where the former has pastoral interests.
1887 - 1903
2
43
21
1892 - South Australian Championships ()
1891 - South Australian Championships ()
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
bye
Quarterfinals
Gustave (Gus) Heinrich 1 *
John Richard Baker
7-5
6-4
6-1
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
bye
Quarterfinals
John Richard Baker 1 *
E.G. Mitton
6-3
7-9
6-3
2-6
7-5
Semifinals
Lionel Watson Hack 1 *
John Richard Baker
4-6
5-7
6-0
6-0
6-4
Round 1
Robert George Bowen 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-0
6-4
6-3
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
bye
Quarterfinals
Reginald Fraser 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-2
6-3
6-3
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
Dr Charles Digby Halcomb
3-6
6-2
0-6
6-2
8-6
Final
Dr David Thomas Harbison 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-1
4-6
6-3
6-4
Round 1
William Alfred Westall Lang 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-2
8-6
6-3
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
Dr David Thomas Harbison
w.o.
Semifinals
John Richard Baker 1 *
Roland Harcus Kelsey
2-6
6-4
6-1
6-3
Final
William Alfred Westall Lang 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-0
6-2
6-0
Round 1
J.G. Murray 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-0
7-5
3-6
6-1
Round 1
Thomas Carlyle Irving 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-4
6-4
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
bye
Semifinals
Dr David Thomas Harbison 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-1
6-3
6-0
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
Henry Suetonius (Harry) Officer
6-2
7-5
Semifinals
Robert George Bowen 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-4
1-6
7-5
7-5
Final
Robert George Bowen 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-4
6-2
6-1
Challenge Round
Dr David Thomas Harbison 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-0
6-2
6-2
Challenge Round
John Richard Baker 1 *
Albert Leopold (Leo) Kaines
14-12
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
A.P. Scott
13-7
Semifinals
John Richard Baker 1 *
Dr Francis Sandland (Frank) Hone
13-11
Final
John Richard Baker 1 *
J.D. Stuart
13-10
Challenge Round
John Richard Baker 1 *
Herbert Edward (Bert) Hambidge
13-7
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
bye
Quarterfinals
John Richard Baker 1 *
Albert Leopold (Leo) Kaines
13-8
Semifinals
John Richard Baker 1 *
J.D. Stuart
13-10
Final
Herbert Edward (Bert) Hambidge 1 *
John Richard Baker
13-10
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
Henry Francis De Little
10-8
6-3
4-6
6-3
Quarterfinals
Richard Macdonald Seymour Wells 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-3
6-2
7-5
Round 1
Frank Highett 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-0
6-1
6-2
Round 2
John Richard Baker 1 *
Walter Mace Shipman
6-4
5-6
6-3
Quarterfinals
Ernest Wool Lewis 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-0
6-0
Round 1
John Richard Baker 1 *
Frank Lancester
1-6
6-2
6-3
Round 2
John Richard Baker 1 *
Henry Francis Herford
6-3
4-6
6-3
Quarterfinals
William Drummond Hamilton 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-0
6-4
Round 1
G.E. Lowe 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-1
6-3
Quarterfinals
L. Richardson 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-5
6-1
Quarterfinals
Alfred Aitken Thomson 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-0
6-1
Round 1
Herbert Durrant Snook 1 *
John Richard Baker
6-5
5-6
6-2