Nomination of James A. Baker III To Be Secretary of the Treasury

The President today announced his intention to nominate James A. Baker III to be Secretary of the Treasury. Mr. Baker has been Chief of the White House staff since January 1981. Previously he served as deputy director of the Reagan-Bush transition and as a senior adviser to the 1980 Reagan-Bush Committee.

A 1952 graduate of Princeton University, Mr. Baker served 2 years on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1952 to 1954. He received his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin with honors in 1957. He practiced law with the Houston, TX, law firm of Andrews, Kurth, Campbell and Jones from 1957 until August 1975, when he was appointed Under Secretary of Commerce by President Ford. Mr. Baker was active in President Ford's campaign in 1976, serving as its national chairman during the general election. After returning to Andrews, Kurth, Campbell and Jones in late 1976, he ran in 1978 as the Republican nominee for attorney general of Texas. From January 1979 until May 1980, he was the national chairman of the George Bush for President Committee.

Active in numerous civic endeavors, Mr. Baker has served on the governing bodies of Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston, the M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. Baker and his wife, the former Susan Garrett, reside in Washington, DC. They have eight children. Mr. Baker was born April 28, 1930, in Houston, TX.