Anthony St. John Baker

Anthony St. John Baker was born in 1785 and educated at Oxford. After diplomatic work in Europe, he reached Washington in 1811 as secretary of legation. When war began in 1812, he remained as an agent for captured British prisoners. In 1813 he sought the return of paintings and prints seized by the Royal Navy while being shipped to the Pennsylvania Academy. ¹

Baker returned in 1815 carrying the Treaty of Ghent and serving as chargé d'affaires during its ratification. The peace immediately raised questions about property and territory. In July, James Monroe asked him to arrange the restoration of the American post at the mouth of the Columbia River. Baker replied that he lacked instructions to order its return and questioned what British personnel remained there. He referred the matter to the naval commander and sought information from Canadian authorities. ^{1, 2}

He became consul general in 1816. His American observations survive in writing and watercolors, including an early view of Riversdale and an 1826 image of the White House grounds. He left Washington on leave in 1828 and resigned in 1831. ¹

Settling at Tunbridge Wells, Baker assembled the four volume Mémoires d'un voyageur qui se repose, privately printed in 1850 with illustrations after his drawings. He also collected coins and supported archaeological societies. He died on 16 May 1854. ¹