Charlie Baker: 12 key facts you need to know

Publish date: 2024-05-06

Charles Duane Baker Jr. is a businessman and politician from the United States who is the sixth and current president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, having taken office on March 1, 2023.

He was the Republican Party’s 72nd governor of Massachusetts from 2015 to 2023, and he held two cabinet roles under two previous governors.
He was also the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care for ten years.

Table of Content

1. Charlie Baker’s birthday, age, and birthplace

The American businessman was born on November 13, 1956, in Elmira, New York.

2. Charlie Baker’s nationality, ethnicity

Baker holds American citizenship and belongs to a mixed (English-American) descent.

3. Charlie Baker’s religion

Charlie Baker believes in the Christianity faith.

4. Charlie Baker’s height and weight

The renowned politician stands at a height of 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs around 70 Kg.

5. Charlie Baker’s educational background

Baker graduated from Needham High School in 1975, the same year as future New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

Baker attended Harvard College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1979, admitting that he was a C-student-turned-B-student.

He later admitted that he went to Harvard “for the brand” and remarked, “With a few exceptions… those four years are ones I’d rather forget.”

Baker was a member of Harvard’s JV basketball squad. He then earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Baker worked as the corporate communications director for the Massachusetts High Technology Council after graduating.

6. Charlie Baker’s parents and siblings

Charlie Baker is the fourth generation of his family to bear the forename Charles. His great-grandfather, Charles D. Baker (1846-1934), was an assistant United States attorney in New York who also served in the New York State Legislature for several years.

Charles D. Baker Jr. (about 1890-1971) was a notable Newburyport, Massachusetts politician.

His father, Harvard graduate Charles Duane Baker (born 1928), worked as a buyer for Westinghouse Electric Corporation, whereas Alice Elizabeth “Betty” (1932-2016), his mother, remained at home.

Baker’s father was a staunch Republican, and his mother was a liberal Democrat; the family was frequently drawn into political debates over dinner. His father was named vice president of Harbridge House, a Boston management consulting business, in 1965.

7. Charlie Baker’s wife and children

In 1987, Baker married Lauren Cardy Schadt, another Kellogg alumna. Schadt was an assistant account executive for a New York advertising firm. She is the daughter of former Reader’s Digest and Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverage CEO James P. Schadt.

They have three children and live in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

8. Charlie Baker  companies

Baker worked as the corporate communications director for the Massachusetts High Technology Council after graduating.

Baker was hired as co-director of the newly formed Pioneer Institute, a Boston-based libertarian think tank, in the late 1980s. The institute’s founder, Lovett C. “Pete” Peters, later recommended him to Bill Weld, the new Republican Governor of Massachusetts. Weld was appointed Undersecretary of Health and Human Services when he started the office in January 1991.

Baker left state office in September 1998 to become CEO of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, a New England-based medical organization. He was appointed president and CEO of Harvard Vanguard’s parent business, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a non-profit health benefits organization, in May 1999. In 1998, the company lost $58 million, and it was expected to lose more than $90 million in 1999.

However, Baker responded by laying off 90 employees, raising premiums, entering into new contracts with Massachusetts physicians, re-evaluating the company’s financial structure, and outsourcing its information technology.

During his tenure as CEO, the company enjoyed 24 straight profitable quarters and was named America’s Best Health Plan by the National Council for Quality Assurance for five years in a row.

9. Charlie Baker awards

Baker has not received any popular awards as of today.

10. Charlie Baker’s home: Where does Charlie Baker live?

The politician cum businessman lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts, together with his wife and their three children. Their personal residence is presently situated in Swampscott.

11. Charlie Baker’s earnings and net worth 

The politician has had a difficult year, but he has millions of dollars to help him cope.
With an estimated $58 million in combined earnings, 66-year-old Charlie Baker has risen to the top of People With Money’s list of the top ten highest-paid politicians for 2023.

12. Charlie Baker’s social media pages

Charlie Baker’s Twitter page name is:

Charlie Baker (@CharlieBakerMA) / Twitter.

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