Newton Baker was one of our most prominent trustees when Cleveland Law School opened its doors in 1897. He received his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University before moving to Cleveland to practice law. Baker was appointed assistant law director in 1902 and city solicitor in 1903. He went on to serve as Mayor of Cleveland from 1912-1915, during which time he actively promoted municipal Home Rule, helped to write the 1912 Ohio constitutional amendment on the subject, and campaigned for the 1913 passage of Cleveland’s Home Rule Charter. Baker was a founder of the law firm of Baker, Hostetler & Sidlo (now BakerHostetler) in 1916, and that same year President Wilson appointed him Secretary of War. In 1921, he returned to private practice in Cleveland, where he was active on many charitable and corporate boards and advocated for American participation in the League of Nations.