Richard C. Baker
Encyclopedia
Richard C. Baker was the British business partner of Francis Marion "Borax" Smith and eventually became president of the Pacific Coast Borax Company
and the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
.
In 1899, "Borax" Smith, founder of Pacific Coast Borax Company
joined forces with Baker to form Borax Consolidated, Ltd. Together they formed a multinational mining conglomerate, and Baker worked to expand the company's foreign holdings in Italy, Turkey, and South America and subsequently became responsible for capitally financing the corporation's development. The incoporation included the Sterling Borax Company and the Suckow Property which is now operated as the Rio Tinto Borax Mine
, the largest open pit mine in California and the largest borax mine in the world where almost half of the world's borates are now produced.
After Smith's bankruptcy in 1913, Baker took control of the company, and he remained president until his death in 1937.
In 1908, Baker, California
, which at that time was a stop on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
, was named for him.
The mineral bakerite
is also named after him.
Pacific Coast Borax Company
The Pacific Coast Borax Company was a United States mining company founded in 1890 by the American borax magnate Francis "Borax" Smith, the "Borax King".-History:...
and the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, the T&T, was a class II railroad extending through remote reaches of the Mojave Desert from the Santa Fe Railway railhead at Ludlow, California, through Death Valley and Amargosa Valley, terminating at the Mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield in the Great Basin...
.
In 1899, "Borax" Smith, founder of Pacific Coast Borax Company
Pacific Coast Borax Company
The Pacific Coast Borax Company was a United States mining company founded in 1890 by the American borax magnate Francis "Borax" Smith, the "Borax King".-History:...
joined forces with Baker to form Borax Consolidated, Ltd. Together they formed a multinational mining conglomerate, and Baker worked to expand the company's foreign holdings in Italy, Turkey, and South America and subsequently became responsible for capitally financing the corporation's development. The incoporation included the Sterling Borax Company and the Suckow Property which is now operated as the Rio Tinto Borax Mine
Rio Tinto Borax Mine
The Rio Tinto Borax Mine in Boron, CA is California's largest open-pit mine and the largest borax mine in the world, producing nearly half the world's borates. It is operated by the Rio Tinto Group....
, the largest open pit mine in California and the largest borax mine in the world where almost half of the world's borates are now produced.
After Smith's bankruptcy in 1913, Baker took control of the company, and he remained president until his death in 1937.
In 1908, Baker, California
Baker, California
Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735.Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908,...
, which at that time was a stop on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, the T&T, was a class II railroad extending through remote reaches of the Mojave Desert from the Santa Fe Railway railhead at Ludlow, California, through Death Valley and Amargosa Valley, terminating at the Mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield in the Great Basin...
, was named for him.
The mineral bakerite
Bakerite
Bakerite is the common name given to hydrated calcium boro-silicate hydroxide, a borosilicate mineral that occurs in volcanic rocks in the Baker, California area....
is also named after him.