Baker, Alfred Gustavus, 1831-1913

The Bakers were an affluent Philadelphia family in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, including businessman and patron of the arts Alfred Gustavus Baker (1831-1913) and his father, Michael V. Baker (d. circa 1866), partner in the firm of Baker and Moss.

From the description of Alfred G. Baker papers, 1837-1913, bulk 1837-1851. (University of Delaware Library). WorldCat record id: 489265797

The Bakers were an affluent Philadelphia family in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, including businessman and patron of the arts Alfred Gustavus Baker (1831–1913) and his father, Michael V. Baker (d. circa 1866), partner in the firm of Baker and Moss.

Alfred Gustavus Baker (1831–1913), the primary figure in this collection, was born in Philadelphia on December 17, 1831, the son of Michael V. Baker and Caroline Shaw. He entered the University of Pennsylvania with the sophomore class of 1848, where as a senior he was elected president of the University's Zelosophic Literary Society. After graduating with the class of 1851, he worked in the Philadelphia dry goods firm of David S. Brown & Co. He then went into business with Samuel Leonard in the firm of Leonard & Baker, with which he was involved until 1870. In 1862 he married Henrietta Rush Fales (1838–1897). In 1866, Alfred Baker administered the estate of his father, Michael V. Baker (d. circa 1866). In 1870, he was named president of the Franklin Fire Insurance Company of Philadelphia, a post which he held until 1882. During this period, Alfred Baker maintained the financial stability of the company despite the overwhelming claims that were the result of the great fires in Chicago and Boston in 1871 and 1872. Later during the period 1877–1880, he served as president of the National Building Fire Underwriters of New York City. Since 1858, Alfred Baker had also served as Director of Philadelphia's Commercial Bank, a post which he held until 1883 when he was named Director of Independence National Bank.

Complementing his professional life, Alfred Baker maintained a lifelong patronage of the arts. Atop the Baker building at 1520 and 1522 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Alfred Baker erected the first all-glass art studio space in America. This he lent to artists for free so they could draw and sketch at all hours and in all weathers. In addition to the visual arts, Baker was a patron of music and opera as well. In 1884 he became president of the American Academy of Music in Philadelphia, a post which he held until his death. It was his intervention in the Academy corporation that allowed for a greater yearly program of opera and symphony to be presented. During 1891 and 1913 Alfred Baker made two trips to Europe where he traveled widely in England and on the continent. He died in Philadelphia soon after his December 20, 1913 return.

Michael V. Baker, the son of Michael Baker, was a wholesale dealer and importer of hardware and cutlery on Market Street in Philadelphia. For a period of time, he was the partner of John Moss in the firm of Baker and Moss. In 1846, about twenty years before his death, he was said to be worth $50,000.

Birch, Thomas R. The First one hundred years of the Zelosophic Literary Society. Philadelphia: [s.n.], 1929. A Biographical album of prominent Pennsylvanians. Vol. 1. Philadelphia: The American Biographical Publishing Company, 1888. Fales, de Coursey. The Fales family of Bristol, Rhode Island. privately printed, 1919. The financiers of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Financial, 1900. Marion, John F. Within these walls: a history of the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Restoration Office, The Academy of Music, 1984. Memoirs and auto-biography of some of the wealthy citizens of Philadelphia, with a fair estimate of their estates-founded upon a knowledge of the facts. Philadelphia: By the booksellers, 1846. University of Pennsylvania, biographical catalogue of the matriculates of the college. Philadelphia: Society of the alumni, 1894.

From the guide to the Alfred G. Baker papers, 1837–1913, 1837–1851, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)