Nelson Baker

Nelson Henry Baker (February 16, 1842 – July 29, 1936) was a Roman Catholic priest and church administrator in the Buffalo, New York area. At the time of his death in 1936, the "city of charity" he developed under the patronage of Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna, New York consisted of a minor basilica, an infant home, a home for unwed mothers, a boys' orphanage, a boys’ protectory, a hospital, a nurses' home, and a grade and high school. Since 1986, the Our Lady of Victory parish and the Diocese of Buffalo have been working to secure his canonization. He has been designated "Venerable" by the Roman Catholic Church.

History

Early life

Nelson Baker was born in Buffalo, New York on February 16, 1842 to Lewis Becker (later Baker) and Caroline Donnellan. He was the second eldest of four sons. His father, a German Evangelical Lutheran, was a retired mariner. Lewis had opened a grocery and general goods store on Batavia Street (now called Broadway) in Buffalo and is said to have instilled an astute business sense in young Nelson, who worked there after graduating from high school in 1858. His mother was a devout Irish Catholic, and Baker was baptized a Roman Catholic in 1851, aged 9.