NORMAN F. BAKER

 

     The financial and business history of Lucas county would be incomplete were there failure to make mention of Norman F. Baker, banker and merchant and a progressive and public-spirited citizen.  He is at present cashier of the Farmers & Miners Bank of Lucas, an institution established by his father, and he has made his influence felt in the development and conservation of banking interests in this part of the state.  He was born in Chariton, Iowa, Jun 10, 1870, a son of J. C. and Martha (Steffy) Baker, the former a native of Brown county, Indiana, and the latter of Burlington, Iowa, where her birth occurred December 26, 1846.  The father was one of the early settlers in the town of Lucas and from the time of its organization was a force in development, giving his influence and aid to the promotion of many progressive public movements and establishing and building up many of its finest business institutions, among which may be mentioned the Farmers & Miners Bank, which he organized in 1886.  He died in this city in 1901 and his widow survives him and is residing in Lucas.  She has been a resident of Iowa since her birth and was two days old when the state was admitted into the Union.  In this family were five children:  Albert L., who resides in Montana; Norman F., of this review; Laura G., who is assistant cashier of the Farmers & Miners Bank of Lucas; J. C., Jr., a former attorney of Lucas, who died in 1906; and Blanche, who is residing with her mother.

     The common schools of Lucas afforded Norman F. Baker his educational opportunities, but he has carried forward his own studies since that time, being an apt pupil in the school of experience.  Since 1886 he has been connected with the affairs of the Farmers & Miners Bank, established in that year, an institution of which he is now cashier.  A financier of shrewd and resourceful ability, he has by the application of sound and progressive methods made the concern grow and expand so that it is now not only the oldest bank in the county but also one of the substantial and prosperous financial concerns of the state.  Mr. Baker is progressive and modern in all that he does and his spirit of enterprise is evidenced by the fact that he will allow in the bank only the newest equipment, having recently installed a new burglar proof manganese safe, of the Victor patent, one of the first to be introduced in southern Iowa.  In addition to his banking interests Mr. Baker owns also a profitable general merchandise store in Lucas and two good farms in Jackson township, each of which is provided with an excellent set of improvements.  Following his father’s footsteps, he has ever taken an active part in the development of Lucas, centering a great deal of his attention upon its along business lines and making his individual prosperity a factor in general expansions.

     Mr. Baker married, in October, 1896, Miss Margaret Beatty, born in Wapello county, Iowa, June 4, 1874.  She is a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Hart) Beatty, the former born in Dubuque in 1848 and the latter near Sheldon, Iowa, December 25, 1859.  When Mrs. Baker was two years of age her parents removed to Lucas county, where both died; the father passing away in 1880 and the mother in April, 1900.  In their family were five children:  Mrs. Ella Jones, the wife of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway agent at Indianola, Iowa; Mrs. Baker; James, who is engaged in the mercantile business in Ottumwa; Mrs. Mary Warner, whose husband is also a merchant in Albia, Iowa; and Susan, the wife of Arthur Knotts, interested in mining in old Mexico.  The two eldest children in this family are natives of Wapello county, the three younger ones having been born in Lucas county.  The family has been in Iowa since pioneer times, Mrs. Baker’s grandparents having been among the earliest settlers in Dubuque county.  Mr. and Mrs. Baker have two sons:  Norman F., Jr., born December 29, 1897, now a student in the public schools; and Gerald J., whose birth occurred April 19, 1900, and who is also pursuing his studies.  Mrs. Baker is a member of the Catholic church of Chariton.

     Until 1912 Norman F. Baker was identified with the democratic party and was one of the most active workers in its ranks, taking a deep interest in local affairs and proving his public spirit by official service.  He held on the democratic ticket almost all of the town and township offices and was democratic candidate for state representative.  When the progressive party was formed, however, he allied his interests with it and in 1912 was its candidate for the office of state treasurer of Iowa.  He has extensive fraternal connections, being a member of Good Shepherd Lodge, No. 414, A. F. & A. M., of Lucas; the Royal Arch Masons at Chariton; and Emmanuel Commandery, No. 50, K. T., of the same place.  He is identified also with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Yeomen.  He has held all the offices in the Masonic Lodge and is at present treasurer.  In all the lines of activity which claim his attention Mr. Baker has followed progressive, constructive and modern methods and in the development of his business interests, which are capably conducted, has proven himself a reliable, resourceful and far sighted business man.  He possesses the elements of capacity and character that contribute largely toward success—elements of perseverance, self-reliance and good judgment.  He is now one of the leading men of his region, and judging from his present success, the future will hold even greater victories and more substantial prosperity.

 

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