Baker, Richard

Richard Brown Baker was born in Providence, R.I. on November 5, 1912 to Harvey Almy Baker and Marion North Brown. His grandfather was Henry Martin Brown, President of the Industrial Trust Co. of Rhode Island (later Fleet National Bank). His older sister was Marion Martin (1909-1962) who married Evert Freeman (1898-1955) in 1940. Their younger sister Anne Harvey died at the age of 6 months (Nov 7, 1923 - May 16, 1924).

Richard attended the Moses Brown School in Providence, R.I. before attending Yale University from which he graduated in 1935. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and studied during 1935-1938 at the Honour School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University receiving a BA and an MA. After completing his studies Richard's first job in 1939 was as a reporter and editorial assistant for the Providence Journal. His journalism career was short however because he was offered the opportunity to be the private secretary for Ambassador Alexander Weddell and his wife Virginia Weddell in Madrid, Spain. Richard left for Madrid in January 1940 and spent the next 10 months assisting the Ambassador with all his entertainment and diplomatic duties. When he returned to the U.S. he hoped to work in the diplomatic corps but finally landed at the Library of Congress in 1941 as a Social Science Analyst. From there he moved to the Office of Strategic Services and worked in Washington, London and Paris as a Research Analyst. He experienced the bombing of London during 1944 and the liberation of Paris in 1945. His last employer was the Central Intelligence Agency as a Foreign Affairs Officer. He quit in 1948 in order to focus on creating a career as a writer.

Richard's writing career moved along at a very slow pace but he did publish two works through Exposition Press in 1952. He published one book of poetry entitled Stairways to Another Stage. His other book was based on the diary he kept while in London during 1944 and was called The Year of the Buzz Bomb. The books did not become huge successes and Richard decided to follow another passion, modern art. He moved to New York City in 1952 and began painting. He studied for a brief period with Morris Kantor and Hans Hoffman but turned his energy toward collecting art rather than creating it. He became a prodigious collector owning over 1,600 works of art before he died. He focused on the artists that were new and on the edge deciding in the 1950s to focus on young and unestablished artists. Richard Baker was one of the first to buy works by artists such as Jackson Pollock and Roy Lichtenstein. The collection he gathered was not meant to be for his sole enjoyment, he lent paintings and other works regularly to museums all over the country for special exhibitions. His other great passion was travel which he enjoyed throughout his life. Records of his extensive travels in Europe, Asia and the Soviet Union exists in his diaries and the letters he wrote to his family.

Richard Baker died on January 22, 2002 in Shelburne, VT. He bequeathed the majority of his art collection along with his original diaries to Yale University and the remainder to the Rhode Island School of Design.

Brown/Baker Family Genealogy:

Henry Martin Brown (1850-1926) married Annie Weed North (1851-1945)

Their children:

Marion North (1881-1973) married Harvey Almy Baker (1881-1951)

Helen married Erling C. Ostby

Benjamin Baker (1854-1921) married Lucy Anna Sisson (1850-1934)

Their children:

Harvey Almy (1881-1951) married Marion North

Benjamin Charles (1884-1955) married Louisa Higginson (1891- ) no children

William C.

Harvey Almy Baker (1881-1951) married Marion North Brown (1881-1973)

Their children:

Marion Martin (1909-1962) married Evert Freeman (1898-1955) no children

Richard Brown (1912-2002) never married

Anne Harvey (1923-1924)

From the guide to the Richard Brown Baker Family Papers, 1866-2002, (bulk 1900-1990), (Rhode Island Historical Society)