Professor Baker Of Law School Dies at Age 78

Memorial services were held yesterday afternoon for Ralph Jackson Baker, professor of Law at Harvard from 1932 to 1958.

Baker, who had been confined to his bed following a hip injury several months ago, died of pneumonia Saturday at the age of 78.

"Through his ability to get to the bottom of every issue he discussed, Baker quietly revolutionized the teaching of corporation law at Harvard," Austin W. Scott, Dane Professor of Law, said last night. "He was always able to arouse tremendous enthusiasm among his students," Scott added.

Scott was one of three law professors who spoke at a special service in Memorial Church yesterday. Erwin Griswold '29, Dean of the Law School, and Louis Loss, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law, also spoke.

A specialist in trust and corporation law, Baker was made Fessendon Professor in 1941 and Weld Professor in 1946. He held honorary degrees from both Harvard and Swarthmore and was a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.