A Republican Party campaign leader, James Addison Baker, III (born 1930) helped elect as president both Ronald Reagan and George Bush. He also served as Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Treasury for Reagan and as Secretary of State for Bush.

James Addison Baker, III, was born April 28, 1930, into a wealthy Houston, Texas, family. His great-grandfather had opened a law office in Houston that was to become one of the largest law firms in the country. His grandfather helped the firm grow and founded a bank. His father continued the legal tradition and had a great influence over Baker's formative years. His mother was the former Bonner Means.

Baker attended a college prep school in Pennsylvania. He studied classics at Princeton University and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952. After two years of active duty as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, he entered the...