William Baker (bishop of Zanzibar)

Early years

Baker was born into an ecclesiastical family. His father was the Revd Canon William Wing Carew Baker, sometime Vicar of Southill, Bedfordshire. Baker was educated at Aldenham School and King's College, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1927 after studying at Ripon College Cuddesdon. He was chaplain of his old college and assistant curate of St Giles with St Peter’s Church, Cambridge, from 1925 to 1932. After this he was Vicar of St John the Baptist's, Newcastle on Tyne, when he was ordained to the episcopate.

Career

Baker was enthroned as Bishop of Zanzibar in 1943. In 1963, his diocese was renamed to become the Diocese of Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, and in 1965 it became the Diocese of Zanzibar and Tanga when the Diocese of Dar es Salaam was partitioned out under John Sepeku, the first African diocesian bishop in Tanzania. Baker continued in the diocese until 1968, when he returned to the UK to serve as both Assistant Bishop of Liverpool and as lecturer at St Katharine's College, Liverpool. He retired from lecturing in 1975 and as assistant bishop in 1987.

Death

He died on 30 November 1990.