# Richard Thomas Baker

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Australian economic botanist, museum curator and educator

Richard Thomas Baker Born 1 December 1854 Died 14 July 1941 (aged 86) Occupation Curator, university teacher, botanical collector Awards Clarke Medal (1922) Mueller Medal (1921) Signature

**Richard Thomas Baker** (1 December 1854 – 14 July 1941) was an Australian economic [botanist](/source/Botany), museum curator and educator.

## Early life

Baker was born in [Woolwich](/source/Woolwich), [England](/source/England), son of Richard Thomas Baker, a blacksmith, and his wife Sarah, née Colkett. The boy was educated at Woolwich National School and Peterborough Training Institution, later gaining science and art certificates from [South Kensington Museum](/source/South_Kensington_Museum).

He was engaged as a senior assistant-master by the School Board for London in 1875 but resigned in July 1879 to emigrate to Australia.[1]

## Career in Australia

On 15 January 1888 Baker was appointed assistant curator to [Joseph Henry Maiden](/source/Joseph_Henry_Maiden) at the [Technological Museum](/source/Powerhouse_Museum).[1]

Baker published a small book, *Building and Ornamental Stones of New South Wales* (1908), and, again in collaboration with Henry Smith, another valuable piece of research, *A Research on the Pines of Australia* (1910).

## Later life and legacy

Baker was awarded the [Mueller Medal](/source/Mueller_Medal) by the [Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science](/source/Australian_and_New_Zealand_Association_for_the_Advancement_of_Science) in 1921,[2] and the [Clarke Medal](/source/Clarke_Medal) of the [Royal Society of New South Wales](/source/Royal_Society_of_New_South_Wales) in 1922. He collected both old and modern china and in 1938 joined the [Royal Australian Historical Society](/source/Royal_Australian_Historical_Society). Baker died at [Cheltenham, New South Wales](/source/Cheltenham%2C_New_South_Wales) on 14 July 1941 and was buried in [Rookwood Cemetery](/source/Rookwood_Cemetery).[1]

## Selected publications

- Richard Thomas Baker (1915), *The Australian flora in applied art. Part I, The waratah*, Sydney: [Powerhouse Museum](/source/Powerhouse_Museum), [Wikidata](/source/WDQ_(identifier)) [Q108332528](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108332528)

- Richard T. Baker (1919), *The Hardwoods of Australia and their Economics*, [Government of New South Wales](/source/Government_of_New_South_Wales), [Wikidata](/source/WDQ_(identifier)) [Q108332690](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108332690)

- Richard T. Baker (1915), *Building and Ornamental Stones of Australia*, [Government of New South Wales](/source/Government_of_New_South_Wales), [Wikidata](/source/WDQ_(identifier)) [Q108332778](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108332778)

- Baker, Richard Thomas (1913), [*Cabinet timbers of Australia*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16827165), Sydney: W.A. Gullick, Govt. Printer, [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5962/BHL.TITLE.17315](https://doi.org/10.5962%2FBHL.TITLE.17315), [OL](/source/OL_(identifier)) [7206292M](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7206292M), [Wikidata](/source/WDQ_(identifier)) [Q51424204](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51424204)

- Richard T. Baker; Henry G. Smith (1924), *Woodfibres of some Australian timbers : investigated in reference to their prospective value for paper-pulp production*, [Government of New South Wales](/source/Government_of_New_South_Wales), [Wikidata](/source/WDQ_(identifier)) [Q108333008](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108333008)

- Richard T. Baker; Henry G. Smith (1910), *A research on the pines of Australia*, [Wikidata](/source/WDQ_(identifier)) [Q108333132](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108333132)

The standard [author abbreviation](/source/List_of_botanists_by_author_abbreviation_(A)) R.T.Baker is used to indicate this person as the author when [citing](/source/Author_citation_(botany)) a [botanical name](/source/Botanical_name).[3]

## See also

[Scholia](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Scholia) has a profile for [**Richard Thomas Baker (Q7329451)**](https://iw.toolforge.org/scholia/Q7329451).

[Taxa named by Richard Thomas Baker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Taxa_named_by_Richard_Thomas_Baker)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ADB_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ADB_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ADB_1-2) J. L. Willis (1979). ["Richard Thomas Baker (1854–1941)"](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/baker-richard-thomas-5108). *Baker, Richard Thomas (1854 - 1941)*. [MUP](/source/Melbourne_University_Press). pp. 154–155. Retrieved 31 January 2008. {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: |work= ignored ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#periodical_ignored))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [ANZAAS > Mueller Medal Recipients (1904-2005)](https://archive.today/20090925233041/http://anzaas.org.au/mueller.html) archive.is Retrieved 12 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [International Plant Names Index](/source/International_Plant_Names_Index). [*R.T.Baker*](https://www.ipni.org/search?q=author%20std%3AR.T.Baker).

- [Serle, Percival](/source/Percival_Serle) (1949). ["Baker, Robert Thomas"](https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks15/1500721h/0-dict-biogBa.html#baker2). *[Dictionary of Australian Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_Australian_Biography)*. Sydney: [Angus & Robertson](/source/Angus_%26_Robertson).

Awards Preceded by Joseph James Fletcher Clarke Medal 1922 Succeeded by Walter Baldwin Spencer

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF WorldCat National United States Italy Czech Republic Netherlands Academics CiNii International Plant Names Index Artists Australian Artists People Trove Australia Other IdRef Open Library SNAC Te Papa (New Zealand) Yale LUX

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