Baker, Rhodes S., Jr., 1912-1967

Rhodes Semmes Baker, Jr. was born on November 27, 1912, in Dallas, Texas. His father, Rhodes S. Baker Sr., was an attorney, and argued in front of the United States Supreme Court in 1901; Baker Sr. was also an avid art collector. Baker Jr. followed in his father's footsteps both as an attorney and as a collector. He graduated from North Dallas High School, attended Princeton University, and earned bachelor's, master's, and law degrees from Southern Methodist University. He served in the U.S. Army from 1944 until 1946, and was a tax attorney with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. before relocating to Houston in 1951. A devoted fan of Duke Ellington, he built an extensive collection of rare and unreleased Ellington recordings, frequently corresponding with Swedish Ellington expert Benny Aasland. Rhodes S. Baker Jr. died in Houston on November 25, 1967.