Sen. Walter Baker dies
Walter A. Baker, a former state legislator, Supreme Court Justice and Columbia native, died Monday in his home in Glasgow from cancer. He is the son of the late Herschel T. Baker and Maggie Barger Baker. He was born in Columbia on Feb. 20, 1937.
Local friends recall that Baker took interest in politics at a very young age. Former County Clerk Bob White said that Baker, instead of going to sports events and other teenager activities, would come to White’s house and discuss local and state politics.
Later in life, White asked Baker to speak at a political rally being held in the high school. Baker obliged.
“He just was a very smart person,” White said. White said he expected Baker to eventually run for governor and expected him to gain a lot of votes from both parties.
“He was an excellent candidate for any office,” White said. “He was an outstanding citizen and served in various capacities in local and state government.”
Baker grew up in Columbia and was high school valedictorian. He was editor-in-chief of his high school publication, The Annual, in 1954. Baker graduated Adair County High School in 1954.
Dr. George Webb also knew Baker as he was growing up. Dr. Webb said Baker was intelligent and a good politician.
“My memories of him are fond,” Dr. Webb said.
Attorney Hunter Durham said he remembers Baker teaching him Morse code and helping him in Boy Scouts. Baker was an Eagle Scout.
“He was a very sincere person,” Durham said. “He takes challenges, maps them out and get it done.”
Baker would eventually attend college at Harvard. At Harvard, he received his undergraduate degree in 1958 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1961. Baker practiced law in Glasgow.
In 1967, Baker was elected to serve in the House of Representatives, where he served for two terms.
He was elected into the Senate in 1972. In 1981, he went to work in the U.S. Department of Defense as the Assistant General Counsel for International Affairs. He was appointed this position by President Ronald Reagan.
He was elected to his old seat again in 1988 and served until he was appointed Justice in 1996. During his time in the state legislature, Baker served on such committees as the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and the Council on Postsecondary Education. In 1990, Baker and two other Republicans voted in favor of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act. Baker served 22 years in total for the state legislature across parts of four decades.
Baker is survived by his wife, Jane S. Helm Baker, and his two children. A memorial service will be held at the A.F. Crow and Son Funeral Home in Glasgow on Saturday at 11 a.m. Visitation is Friday, from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m.
By Dean Childers
Voice Intern
