Moseley Baker

Moseley Baker (September 20, 1802 – November 8, 1848) was the Speaker of the House of the Alabama House of Representatives and served two terms in the Congress of the Republic of Texas, where he led impeachment proceedings against President Sam Houston. During the Texas Revolution, he led a company of men fighting in the Texian Army and was wounded at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was named a brigadier general of the Republic of Texas militia.

Moseley Baker was born September 20, 1802 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Horace Baker and Rebecca Moseley. He moved to Montgomery, Alabama as a young man. There he became a lawyer, and was also the founder and first editor of the Montgomery Advertiser. He was elected to the Alabama State Legislature in 1829 and was elected Speaker of the House.

Baker lived above his means and soon found himself deeply in debt. In 1832 he was arrested for defrauding the Bank of Alabama. He soon escaped and made his way to Mexican Texas. He arrived in San Felipe de Austin with only $1 in his pocket. After borrowing $10 from another resident, he opened his own law practice.

Baker, his wife, and their daughter moved to Liberty in March 1835. In October he was granted land in Lorenzo de Zavala's colony on Galveston Bay.

As relations soured between Texas colonists and the Mexican government, Baker began to advocate for independence from Mexico. In July 1835, Mexican general Martin Perfecto de Cos issued warrants for the arrest of Baker and five other men, all accused of land speculation or being part of the Anahuac Disturbances. Local officials refused to enforce the warrants, and the men were never arrested. All of the men were well respected in their communities, and the warrants greatly angered other colonists. This, combined with news that Cos was leading a large military force to Texas, convinced many colonists to embrace the idea of revolt. In August, Baker began recruiting men willing to fight for independence.

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