William O. Baker

William Oliver Baker (July 15, 1915 to October 31, 2005) was an American chemist born in Chestertown, Maryland, who earned his doctorate at Princeton under Charles Phelps Smyth. He spent his career at Bell Labs, rising to become its president from 1973 to 1979 after serving as its vice president for research from 1955, and he held eleven patents from his research on synthetic rubber. Beyond the laboratory, he served as a scientific advisor to five United States presidents, helping shape federal science policy during a period of rapid technological change.