William Baker (British politician)

Sir William Baker (5 November 1705 – 23 January 1770) was an English merchant and politician, a Member of the Parliament of Great Britain and Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.[1]

Bayfordbury House

He was the son of John Baker, a London draper. He became an Alderman of London in 1739 and a director of the East India Company in 1741–5, 1746–50 and 1751–53. He was also deputy chairman (1749, 1751–52), chairman (1749–50, 1752–53), Deputy Governor (1750-60) and the 11th Governor (1760–70) of the Hudson's Bay Company. He was knighted in 1760.

He was MP for Plympton Erle from 1747 to 1768. In 1759 he built a country house in an estate at Bayfordbury in Hertfordshire.[2]

He died in 1770. He had married Mary, the daughter of Jacob Tonson, publisher, and with her had 6 sons and a daughter. His eldest son, also William Baker, who inherited and improved Bayfordbury, was also an MP.

The community Baker Lake in Nunavut, Canada was named after him.[3][4][5]

References
  1. "BAKER, William (1705-70), of Winchester St., London, and Bayfordbury, Herts". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  2. "Name: BAYFORDBURY List entry Number: 1176752". Historic England. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  3. "Sandy Lunan, Hudson's Bay Co. Factor, baking his own bread, Baker Lake, Northwest Territories, 1946". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  4. Governors
  5. Baker Lake history
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
Richard Edgcumbe
George Edgcumbe		 Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle
1747–1768
With: George Treby 1747–1761
George Hele Treby 1761–1763
Paul Henry Ourry 1763–1768		 Succeeded by
Paul Henry Ourry
William Baker


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