- Started at Chase Manhattan, retired from JPMorgan in 2015
- Was former chairman of two municipal-market industry groups
Jeffrey Baker, a municipal bond analyst for 43 years who spent his entire career with one firm and its successors, has died at the age of 71.
He died Monday of cancer at his home in River Edge, New Jersey, according to his wife of 46 years, Ann.
Baker joined Chase Manhattan Bank in 1972 and retired from JPMorgan Chase & Co. in 2015.
“It was his first job out of school,” said Ann Baker.
Baker was chairman of the Municipal Analysts Group of New York in 1993, and chairman of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts in 1997.
In 1994, he received the organization’s Industry Contribution Award, with Katherine Bateman and Bill Oliver, for their “active involvement as NFMA representatives with other industry groups and the SEC, as well as their development of the 15 recently released Secondary Market Disclosure Forms.”
Baker “gave freely of his time and expertise,” recalled Steve Schrager, a fellow municipal bond analyst and long-time friend. “He sought out and mentored younger analysts, contributing to their professional growth.”
Another friend, Mark Tenenhaus of RSW Investments, recalled Baker as a devoted fan of the New York Jets football team. “His tailgates were legendary.”
Baker majored in finance at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, and got his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
In addition to Ann, he is also survived by his daughter, Lynne, and son-in-law Matt Weber, and two grandchildren, Benjamin and Zoe. He was predeceased by a son, Scott, in 1996.
There will be a service for Baker on Thursday at 11 a.m. at Temple Avodat Shalom in River Edge.
Bloomberg Business
By Joseph Mysak Jr
July 28, 2021, 8:41 AM PDT