James Clement Baxter was elected to the board of Everton
F.C. in 1889 and he served the club continuously, in a variety of roles until
his death in 1928. The family connection extended even beyond this, as his son
Cecil succeeded him both as director and club doctor until his own death in 1954,
a span of 65 years between them.
He was born on 11thJuly 1857, the son of a
chemist, at 259 Great Homer Street. Qualifying as a doctor he practised in
Robson Street L5, firstly at 102, then at 110 which was his home from the middle
of the 1880’s until his death. Baxter’s contribution to the club were many but his
giving the club a loan of £1000 at the time when they were struggling to
finance the opening of Goodison Park was crucial to the survival of the club.
He was a passionate supporter of football both in the city and beyond, serving
on both the Football Association and the Football League Management Committee.
He served the city as a Liberal councillor from 1906 to 1920
and in his medical capacity was involved in the work of many of the city’s institutions.
As an obituary in the Liverpool Echo [27-1-1928] recorded, he was “popular
with all sections of the community”.
Baxter married Eugenie Connolly in 1879. They had six
children, three of whom sadly died in infancy. He clearly prospered in his chosen profession as probate records show that his estate in 1928 was over £64,000 (over £4 million in current spending power)
