1930–, U.S. political leader, b. Houston, Tex. After graduating from Princeton Univ., he served in the U.S. Marines and earned a law degree from the Univ. of Texas. A successful corporate lawyer, he served as undersecretary of commerce in 1975–76 during Gerald Ford 's administration. Baker was campaign manager for Ford in his unsuccessful bid for a second term in 1976 and for George H. W. Bush in his unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980. Under President Ronald Reagan, Baker served as chief of staff (1981–85) and then as secretary of the treasury (1985–88). He helped secure passage of the Kemp-Roth tax cut. In 1988 he managed Bush's successful presidential campaign. As secretary of state (1989–92) in Bush's administration, Baker negotiated arms reduction treaties with the Soviet Union, lent U.S. support to Germany's reunification, marshaled international opposition to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait (1990; see Persian Gulf War ), and convened (1991) a Middle East peace conference that involved Israel, several Arab countries, and the Palestinians. In 1992, Baker resigned to become White House chief of staff again, with responsibility for domestic policy and for overseeing the unsuccessful Bush reelection campaign. He later returned to law practice, and in 1997 was named a UN envoy to the parties in the Western Sahara conflict. Baker also directed George W. Bush 's legal efforts with respect to the contested 2000 presidential vote in Florida, and was appointed President Bush's personal envoy, charged with restructuring Iraq's national debt, in late 2003. Baker wrote The Politics of Diplomacy (1995, with T. M. DeFrank).

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