James McNair Baker (July 20, 1821 – June 20, 1892) was a lawyer, politician, and Senator from Florida in the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War.

In 1852, Baker was named State Attorney for the Suwannee Circuit, and served as a delegate to the Whig National Convention in Baltimore.

Scott was extremely unpopular in the state due to his prosecution of the Seminole Wars, and the decision to put him at the top of the party's ticket alienated many voters.

Over the next several years, he gained his greatest professional reputation for litigation associated with the disposition of lands held by the state's Internal Improvement Fund—which had been created in 1855 to attract Northern capital and spur development.

By 1876, Baker was an active member of the state's Democratic Executive Committee, and worked hard to bring about an end to the Reconstruction era in Florida.