Earl M. Baker, the small-town Chester County politician who rose to prominence as the county government was re-inventing and modernizing itself in the 1980s and who went on to solidify the county’s place among the major players in the Republican Party politics in the state, has died. He was 84.
His death on April 25 was announced by the Tomlinson Funeral Home of Bensalem and confirmed by his family.
“Earl Baker had a vision for Chester County as a leader among counties and a premier place to live and work,” said Karen Martynick, who worked for Baker in his capacity as a local and state Republican leader and who later succeeded him as county commissioner. “Many people forget that Chester County was a pretty sleepy and mostly rural county when Earl became commissioner.
“But he saw a future that was very different from that sleepy, rural county,” she said. “He knew growth was coming and he was determined to make sure the county was prepared.
“He made it his mission to modernize county government,” she said of his 12 years in office in West Chester. “He put the people, policies, and processes in place to move the county into the 21st century. Earl took every opportunity to ‘sell’ Chester County to major employers and lobbied state and federal officials to bring the resources necessary to fulfill his vision of what Chester County could be.”
“Many of his reforms and policies remain intact from his time as commissioner,” former commissioner and U.S. congressman Ryan Costello said on Monday. “Due to his skills and intellect, he moved up in the ranks rather quickly as well. He was a kind and decent man, and from a public service perspective, he will be remembered as one of the best ‘politicos’ Chester County has ever had.”
Baker was living in Malvern in the 1970s and working as a political science professor at Temple University when he was recruited to serve as a Republican committeeman in the borough after becoming involved in a local zoning dispute. He then rose through the ranks of the party as it recovered from the scandal involving Theodore S.A. Rubino, the county commissioners’ chairman and head of the party who was indicted for extortion.
Baker was elected commissioner in 1976 and served off and on as chairman of that three-member body for two more successive terms. He was then elected as state senator for the 19th state Senatorial District in 1988 and served two terms. After an unsuccessful run for governor, Baker largely stepped away from the political limelight, working as a corporate and later political consultant.
He also wrote about his experiences in politics, offered commentary about the county’s political history, and even wrote a book of poetry, titled “Heroes and Hypocrites.”
“My father knew so many people and connected them,” said his daughter, Toby Tomlinson Baker.” He had so much energy and was on so many committees. He loved helping people.”
His presence on the public stage may have dimmed in the past decades, but in the late 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s there was no larger figure in county government or politics than Baker, who was an affable man not shy about using his power to get what he wanted accomplished. There were those who bristled at his way of doing business, but he proved highly successful at bringing the county into the modern world, expanding its scope and services.
He was responsible for reaching out to federal and state government funding sources to provide services in the county ranging from mental health to public safety and human services. He created a solid waste authority that centralized the waste management practices in the county. He also helped centralize the county’s emergency response system in the pre-9-1-1 days and moved the main branch of the county’s library to West Whiteland, where it remains as part of a multi-facility library system.
On a more fundamental level, Baker largely removed political considerations from hiring practices in county departments, leaning more on a candidate’s professional experience than their “it’s-who-you-know” bonafides.
Even though the county library move was controversial at the time, with opponents complaining that it moved a beloved institution from its longtime home in West Chester, in his later years Baker devoted his public service to the institution. In 2019, Baker formally received a citation from the Pennsylvania Library Association naming him 2019 Library Trustee of the Year, recognizing his two decades working to improve the library system in the county.
“During his tenure as a trustee, Earl has been a driving force behind strategic plans to better meet the needs of patrons and to make Chester County libraries among the top-rated libraries in the country,” association Executive Director Christi Buker said at the meeting, as Baker sat and listened.
“He was such an advocate for the library, and so strongly influenced the services that we offer,” said JoAnn Weinberger, past president of the library board. As a founder of the Chester County Library Trust, “he knew that to be renowned for services there needs to be private funding” in addition to public dollars.
In addition to his work as commissioner, he also served as the Republican State Chairman of Pennsylvania from 1986 to 1990 and was a member of the National Republican Committee. He was elected as a delegate to three national conventions and was a presidential elector in the Electoral College in 1988, the year that George H. W. Bush was elected the forty-first President.
In 1980 he chaired the Ronald Reagan for President campaign in the county and in 1984 he headed the entire southeastern Pennsylvania campaign. He was close politically with both Reagan — whom he brought to the new Great Valley Corporate Center to promote the county as the center of the high-tech business world of the future — and the elder Bush — whose 67 percent victory margin in the county helped propel him to the presidency in 1988.
Baker also saw the county he called home to undergo a political transformation, from a long-time Republican stronghold to one of the “purple” counties in the state where Democrats flipped the plurality of voters to its favor.
In 2008, as the change was underway and the county voted for a Democratic presidential candidate, Baker gave a talk on Main Line politics at the Tredyffrin Historical Society and marveled at what was occurring.
“(Democrats) said among themselves, ‘The Republicans are fat, dumb, and happy, and if we work hard we’ll be able to make inroads.’” he said. “Three years ago there were two Democratic supervisors elected in Tredyffrin township. Again, when I read that in the newspaper, my reaction was, ‘How did that happen? How could that ever have happened?’ ”
Although he no longer was actively involved in politics as a campaigner or officeholder, he did not shy away from that world and was happy to offer counsel to others who came after him.
“Earl Baker was more than just a statesman; he was my friend,” said current Commissioner Eric Roe, now the minority member on the board. “Earl took me under his wing in 2016 when I first ran for the state House of Representatives and subsequently won that election. I didn’t ask him to mentor me, he just did it.
“He knew all the state-level policy issues inside and out, and he knew how to articulate them well,” Roe said. “I often called him up just to pick his brain, either while running for office or holding office.
“To me, Earl Baker represented a bygone era when politics was more civil and refined,” said Roe. “He was the classy, genteel statesman that I strived to imitate. When I look around and see how uncivilized the political world has become, I often think of Earl Baker and remind myself of how much better things could be.”
Said Martynick of his tutelage, “He told me once that he liked to throw people into the ‘deep end’ when he knew they could swim but they didn’t know it yet. On my first day on the job, he sent me to meet with Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton, who was running for governor, along with his top campaign staff. I was scared to death. He thought it would be a ‘good introduction’ to state politics.
“The opportunities he afforded me set me up for a career in government and politics and later in the nonprofit world,” said the former executive director of the Lancaster Farmland Trust. “He introduced me to presidents, corporate executives, and community leaders and encouraged me to build relationships that benefited me both professionally and personally. He encouraged me to take risks and to do things I didn’t think I could do.
Baker was born on Jan. 22, 1940, in Philadelphia, and attended the University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill, N.C. where he majored in political science. He served in the U.S. Navy as an officer and met his wife, Jacqueline Barnaby Baker in Newport, R.I. They were married on January 18, 1964, and were happily married for 60 years.
Mr. Baker is survived by his wife, his son, Todd Barnaby Baker, and his daughter,
A viewing is set for Wednesday, May 1, 2024, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Providence Friends Meeting, 105 N. Providence Roar, Media, followed by his service at 11 a.m. Interment to follow at the Providence Friends Meeting Cemetery.
Toby Baker recalled that her father was not unable to laugh at himself as a political figure.
“When my dad was running against Tom Ridge for governor, I was 16 and I used to go to events in his place, while he went to a different one,” she recalled in an email. “I remember all the other speakers had long speeches and mine was only 30 seconds. I said ‘I’m Toby Baker, and my father Earl Baker is running for governor. Please vote for my dad!’
“My speech was so short, everyone was so happy. I was the only speaker who got a standing ovation,” she said. “I told my dad and he got such a kick out of it.”
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
