James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, and former Marine Corps officer. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House chief of staff and 67th United States secretary of the treasury under President Ronald Reagan and the 61st U.S. secretary of state before returning as the 16th White House chief of staff under President George H. W. Bush.
Born in Houston, Texas, Baker attended the Hill School and Princeton University before serving in the United States Marine Corps. After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, he pursued a legal career. He became a close friend of George H. W. Bush and worked for Bush's unsuccessful 1970 campaign for the United States Senate. After serving briefly as Under Secretary of Commerce, Baker ran President Gerald Ford's failed 1976 campaign following the ouster of campaign chairman Rogers Morton. Baker considered running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Houston and did run a failed 1978 campaign for Texas Attorney General, but he otherwise remained in appointed positions for his career.