William Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | c.1761 |
| Died | September 1836 (aged 74–75) |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | New South Wales Marine Superintendent of convicts Farmer and publican Town crier, Supreme Court of Van Diemen's Land |
| Title | Sergeant |
| Spouse(s) | Susannah Huffnell (1788—1790) Elizabeth Lavender (m. 1795 – 1824) |
William Baker (c. 1761—14 September 1836) was a New South Wales Marine and member of the First Fleet that founded the European penal colony of New South Wales.
Initially an orderly for the colony's first Governor, Arthur Phillip, Baker was later appointed government storekeeper in Parramatta, and storekeeper and superintendent of convicts in the rural settlement of Hawkesbury. In 1810 he was dismissed from all government posts after being found to have misused his position for personal gain, and relocated to Hobart where he became the inaugural crier for Australia's oldest colony-wide judicature, the Supreme Court of Van Diemen's Land.
The Australian fish Latropiscis purpurissatus, or "Sergeant Baker", is named in his honour.