The Honorable James A. Baker, III, has served in senior government positions under three United States presidents. He served as the nation's 61st secretary of state from January 1989 through August 1992 under President George H.W. Bush. During his tenure at the State Department, Baker traveled to 90 foreign countries as the United States confronted the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the post-Cold War era.
Baker served as the 67th secretary of the treasury from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. As treasury secretary, he was also chairman of the President's Economic Policy Council. From 1981 to 1985, he served as White House chief of staff to President Reagan. Baker's record of public service began in 1975 as under secretary of commerce to President Gerald Ford. It concluded with his service as White House chief of staff and senior counselor to President Bush from August 1992 to January 1993.
Now the honorary chairman of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, Baker continues his efforts to work toward more effective national and international public policy. He is often quoted in the news media about current events and speaks publicly about his experience as our nation's chief diplomat.
Media Appearances
- Watch an interview on PBS Newshour, in which Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, speaks about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (April 8, 2013).
- Former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, joined former First Lady Nancy Reagan and CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour to remember former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on "Anderson Cooper 360ￂﾺ." Watch the video here (April 8, 2013).
- Watch an extended interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, in which Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, discusses the national debt, the Middle East and the future of the Republican Party (Dec. 9, 2012).
- Watch a CBS interview with Charlie Rose, in which Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, comments on possible U.S. military intervention in Syria as well as America's crippling national debt (Dec. 7, 2012).
- Read the Foreign Policy blog post "Jim Baker: Realists have been successful stewards of foreign policy," in which Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, responds to criticisms within the Republican party over presidential nominee Mitt Romney's selection of a national security transition team head (Aug. 9, 2012).
- Read The Jerusalem Post article "Iran lobs missiles in day 2 of 'Great Prophet' drill," in which Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, says that a military strike against Iran is not in the United States' interest (July 3, 2012).
- Read the ABC News article "America's bad economy is biggest foreign policy threat," which provides highlights of a State Department-hosted conversation between Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (June 21, 2012).
- Watch "Conversations on diplomacy with Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. secretary of state, and James A. Baker, III, former U.S. secretary of state" on the Charlie Rose Show. The diplomats discuss current U.S. foreign policy and the economy (June 20, 2012).
- Listen to an interview (mp3) on Houston's AM 740 KTRH NewsRadio with Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, in which he discusses the eighth anniversary of the death of President Ronald Reagan (June 4, 2012).
- Read a Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harvard) newsletter article announcing that the center is recognizing Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, with its 2012 Great Negotiator Award (May 23, 2012).
- Read the CultureMap Houston article "Weepy tributes to George H.W. Bush and James Baker give Men of Distinction heartfelt emotion" about a Men of Distinction luncheon at which Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, and President George H.W. Bush were honored (May 5, 2012).
- Read the Boston Globe op-ed "Masters in the art of diplomacy" by Harvard diplomacy and international politics professor R. Nicholas Burns, in which he discusses the timeless virtues of diplomacy, negotiations and statecraft in a complex world, with a spotlight on former Secretaries of State James A. Baker, III, and Henry A. Kissinger (April 13, 2012).
- Watch a video of Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, on the Charlie Rose Show. In his interview, Baker discusses U.S.-Israel relations and Middle East diplomacy (March 27, 2012).
- A Houston Chronicle editorial about the role Texas plays in wind energy generation mentions a meeting the editorial staff had with honorary chair James A. Baker, III (March 14, 2012).
- A KPRC Local 2 Houston news story on local officials' plans to turn the Texas coast into a tourist destination quotes honorary chair James A. Baker, III (Feb. 22, 2012).
- View a FOX News interview (video) with former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, discussing U.S. relations with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (Feb. 2, 2011).
- View a Today Show interview (video) with former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, about who will rise to power in Egypt, and what this will mean for the Middle East (Feb. 2, 2011).
Publications
- In an op-ed for the New York Times, Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, and U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., propose bipartisan guidelines for gun control (Jan. 29, 2013).
- Read Wall Street Journal op-ed "How to Get to a Grand Bargain," in which Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, writes that, in order to reach a grand bargain and avoid the fiscal cliff, Congress should establish a mechanism to guarantee that spending cuts actually follow tax increases. A subscription is required to access the full article (Nov. 15, 2012).
- In this letter to the editor of the New York Times, James A. Baker, III, describes four crucial conditions that must be in place in order to create a nuclear-free world (Nov. 6, 2011).
- Read Wall Street Journal op-ed "How to deal with the debt limit," in which Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, urges Congress and the White House to agree to a hard cap on spending (June 17, 2011).
- In the Washington Post op-ed "Breaking the War Powers Stalemate," The Honorable James A. Baker, III, and The Honorable Lee Hamilton address a Congressional discussion over which branch of government has the authority to send U.S. troops into battle (June 9, 2011).
- Read a Washington Post op-ed "Grounds for U.S. military intervention," in which former secretaries of state James A. Baker, III, and Henry Kissinger discuss how the United States can successfully approach Middle East policy with a balance of realism and idealism (April 11, 2011).
- Read a Council on Foreign Relations interview, "Egypt Is a 'Textbook' Foreign Policy Dilemma," with former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III (Feb. 2, 2011).
Speeches and Awards
- Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, gave an introduction for U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who was invited to speak at The University of Texas Law School through the James A. Baker III Chair in the Rule of Law and World Affairs. Watch the Nov. 2, 2012, remarks.
- Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, recently spoke about the massive U.S. national debt and the need to restore comity to our political debate as part of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Lee Hamilton Lecture Series. Watch a video of Baker's Oct. 23, 2012, remarks, titled "Civil Discourse and a Grand Bargain."
- On Oct. 17, 2012, Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, was awarded with the Medal of Freedom from Southern Methodist University's John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies. Watch a video of the presentation ceremony here.
- On Sept. 12, 2012, Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, joined former secretary of the treasury Robert Rubin for a bipartisan forum on "The Economic and Foreign Policy Implications of America"s Debt." The event was organized as part of the Strengthening of America initiative, co-sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, The Concord Coalition, The Bipartisan Policy Center, the American Business Conference, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, and Rice University's Baker Institute. Watch a video of the forum and learn more about the event here.
- Baker Institute honorary chair James A. Baker, III, was named the fourth Honorary Reagan Fellow by Eureka College, President Ronald Reagan's alma mater. Watch a video of his March 28, 2012, remarks here.
- On Nov. 10, 2011, the International Republican Institute honored James A. Baker, III, with its 2011 Freedom Award for his exemplary public service and his work in international diplomacy. Watch a video of a conversation between Baker and journalist Thomas L. Friedman at the event where the award was presented.
- James A. Baker, III, gave the keynote address at the Nov. 2, 2011, Baker Institute-U.S. Institute of Peace conference "Twenty Years After Madrid: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward for Arab-Israeli Peacemaking" in Washington, D.C. Video of his speech is available here.
- At a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., James A. Baker, III, recalled the former president's leadership traits and actions. Watch a video of his Oct. 31, 2011, remarks here.
- Early in 2011, James A. Baker, III, had the chance to remember President Ronald Reagan on what would have been the former commander-in-chief's 100th birthday. On Feb. 6, Baker delivered the keynote address at a celebration of what would have been Reagan's 100th birthday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in California. Baker also had the honor on March 10 of accepting a posthumous award to President Reagan from the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation at Texas A&M University. Video of both events is available here.