Baker, George F.

Baker, George F. (Fisher)

(1840–1931) banker, philanthropist; born in Dorchester, Mass. He began as a clerk in the state banking department in Albany, N.Y. (1856) and in 1863 he helped found the First National Bank of New York, rising to second president by 1877. In 1908 he established First Security Corporation to buy and sell stocks, bonds, and notes. From 1909–31 he chaired the bank's board and was on the board of directors of 87 corporations. He gave away over $19 million of his personal fortune, including $6 million to the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.