Lorenzo Dow Baker

Biography

Lorenzo Dow Baker, born in 1840, rose from a seafaring life to become a pioneering fruit merchant, launching the Boston Fruit Company and laying the groundwork for what would become a global banana trade.

While his business ventures transformed trade between the Caribbean and North America, he also returned the profits to his hometown through philanthropy, insisting that success be shared with the communities that supported him; Pleasant Hill Cemetery is the place where he was laid to rest.