Charles Henri Baker
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Charles-Henry Jean-Marie Baker (b.June 3 1955 in Port-au Prince) is a Haïtian industrialist of White race with US residency.
Baker was a candidate for president in Haïti's 2006 election. He initially billed himself as an independent and allied himself with the Komba de Chavannes Jean Baptiste and Evans Lescouflair party. Baker is a former member of Groupe 184, a loose federation of business leaders, church officials and NGOs associated with the US federal government funded by USAID and the NED, opposed to the Jean-Bertrand Aristide government in 2004. Baker was widely considered the candidate of choice of Haïti's middle and upper classes as well as the favoured candidate of the international business community. However, he was defeated in the election by René Préval.
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[edit] Early life
Baker's father Edouard Baker was a prominent Engineer/Agronomist and a well-known soccer player. His mother Louise Barranco, a Businesswoman, was the founder of the first Supermarket chain in Haïti. Baker has two brothers and three sisters.
After completing his elementary school in Haïti, he traveled to the United States where in 1972 he graduated from Redondo High school and went on to college. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from St. Leo College in Tampa, Florida in 1976. In 1975, he married Marie Florence Apaid They have four children and one grandchild.
[edit] Business career
Baker began his business career as a manager at the age 21 in the family owned and operated supermarket chain. When his father became ill, he took over the family-owned Tobacco farm “Habitation Dujour,” a 90-acre farmland which grew sugar cane, banana and tobacco. Eventually, the land expanded another 120 acres which made it the largest Flue cured Tobacco farm in Haiti with more than 200 acres. Simultaneously, from 1982 to 1985 he worked with the Tobacco growers of Haïti through the Comme Il Faut Company, where he held the position of Assistant to the Leaf Growing Manager.
Beginning in the late eighties, Baker began to purchase/set-up garment producing factories. These factories, which have been called sweatshops by labour rights and human rights organizations, employ hundreds of Haitians who are paid very little and have no benefits. Baker sells the garments produced in these factories to major corporations such as Sara Lee, Walmart and K-Mart. In 2000, he joined the Association des Industries d’Haïti as member and a year later became Vice Chair.
[edit] Political career
He initially billed himself as an independent and has allied himself with the Komba de Chavannes Jean Baptiste and Evans Lescouflair party. Baker is a former member of Groupe 184, a loose federation of business leaders, church officials and NGOs associated with the US federal government funded USAID and NED, opposed to the Jean-Bertrand Aristide government in 2004. Baker is widely considered the candidate of choice of Haïti's wealthy ruling class as well as the favoured candidate of the international business community. Political groups backing Baker were heavily financed by foreign aid agencies such as USAID and he played a large role in the destabilization campaign waged against Haiti's elected government (2001-2004). Baker is known for his frank political opinions and elite propaganda.
[edit] 2006 presidential election
In August 2005 Baker announced his intentions to run for the presidential election in Haïti initially planned for November, 2005, which took place in early February 2006. Amid confusion at polling places and voting irregularities, the final official vote count has Baker with 8.24% of the voted ballots.
