After graduating from Hazard High School in 1955, Baker attended Georgetown College, he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order alongside Carroll Hubbard.

[6] As the Kentucky Historical Society would later note, the bill "met opposition from schools that did not want the extra cost associated with a girls’ team or the issues sharing facilities would bring ... but Baker persisted and it passed.

[8][failed verification] Baker was a probate commissioner and heard quarterly court cases in Jefferson County until 1983 and then maintained an active private practice in Louisville until retirement in 2016.

[citation needed] He also served on the Kentucky Selective Service board and as a precinct election officer in Jefferson County, a role he has continued through 2024.

[citation needed] Baker's mother played basketball in the late 1920s to early 1930s and was a member of Hazard High School's 1930 state championship team.