2012
Secretary James A. Baker, III
A consummate diplomat and statesman who has held senior government positions under three United States Presidents, James A. Baker, III is hailed as one of the great political minds of our time. A native Houstonian, Mr. Baker graduated from Princeton University in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. After two years active duty as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, he attended The University of Texas School of Law and graduated with honors in 1957. His record of public service began in 1975 as Under Secretary of Commerce to President Gerald Ford. Revered for his keen intellect and penchant for civility, Mr. Baker served as the nation’s 61st Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush, traveling to 90 foreign countries as the United States confronted the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the post-Cold War era. Mr. Baker served as Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan and was twice White House Chief of Staff, to President Reagan and to President George H. W. Bush. Long active in American presidential politics, Mr. Baker led presidential campaigns for Presidents Ford, Reagan, and Bush over the course of five consecutive elections from 1976 to 1992. Mr. Baker is a senior partner in the law firm of Baker Botts L.L.P. and is Honorary Chairman of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. He has garnered numerous honorary academic and public service awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991. In recent years, he has served as co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, co-chairman of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, and co-chairman of the National War Powers Commission.
A consummate diplomat and statesman who has held senior government positions under three United States Presidents, James A. Baker, III is hailed as one of the great political minds of our time. A native Houstonian, Mr. Baker graduated from Princeton University in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. After two years active duty as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, he attended The University of Texas School of Law and graduated with honors in 1957. His record of public service began in 1975 as Under Secretary of Commerce to President Gerald Ford. Revered for his keen intellect and penchant for civility, Mr. Baker served as the nation’s 61st Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush, traveling to 90 foreign countries as the United States confronted the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the post-Cold War era. Mr. Baker served as Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan and was twice White House Chief of Staff, to President Reagan and to President George H. W. Bush. Long active in American presidential politics, Mr. Baker led presidential campaigns for Presidents Ford, Reagan, and Bush over the course of five consecutive elections from 1976 to 1992. Mr. Baker is a senior partner in the law firm of Baker Botts L.L.P. and is Honorary Chairman of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. He has garnered numerous honorary academic and public service awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991. In recent years, he has served as co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, co-chairman of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, and co-chairman of the National War Powers Commission.