Baker, James Addison

Correspondence from Capt. James A. Baker (Rice Institute Chairman, 1891-1941) to various family members and colleagues, newsclippings regarding William M. Rice and regarding Capt. Baker’s death, and photographs of the Baker family.

The collections contains extensive research files on James A. Baker and his family, including biographical, genealogical and law firm, recollections of family members and friends, correspondence and newsclips, as well as numerous photographs of family members, houses and family events. This material was gathered in 2011-2012 by Kate Kirkland in preparation for the publication of her biography of Baker, published in 2012.

The collection contains records and printed material on the early land holdings and dealings of William Marsh Rice and the Rice Institute in 45 Texas counties and 4 Louisiana parishes. The collection also contains records and printed material concerning early Rice Institute campus construction, legal matters (including judicial settlements and statements), institutional housekeeping (including receipts and invoices from 1891-1907), and campus area property and construction.

Baker College is one of the five original residential colleges at Rice University. These records consist of material related to college business, social activities, publications, and correspondence, as well as photographs, video, and scrapbooks.

The Rice University Office of News and Media Relations keeps the media and the institution’s community informed about the latest campus developments. They research, develop and share press releases and record special events on video or audio. That charge led to this collection that consists mostly of VHS tapes which contain news broadcasts and raw footage covering Rice University events or featuring speakers representing Rice University on many topics.