[1] In 1860, he enrolled in Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin, but his education was interrupted by the outbreak of the American Civil War.
[1] Baker quickly volunteered for service in the Union Army and was enrolled in Company B of the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment.
The 1st Wisconsin Cavalry served in many of the important campaigns of the western theater of the war, including Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Atlanta.
[3] Following his war service, Baker returned to Portage County, Wisconsin, and was elected town clerk of Stockton.
He subsequently attended the Albany Law School and moved east to Waupun, in Fond du Lac County in 1868.