'Whatever became of Newton Baker?' was a common refrain among Democrats during the 1920s and 1930s. As one of Woodrow Wilson's most trusted lieutenants between 1916 and 1921, Baker seemed assured of future political prominence. That promise was never fulfilled, and Baker lost much of his political relevance to either his own party or to the electorate at large. This article asks why that was so, and explores its consequences. Other biographers of Baker and historians of the Democratic party have emphasized Baker's supposedly increasing conservatism, his contentment with private life and a lucrative law practice, and his refusal to subscribe to the growing ethno-cultural tensions that divided the party after World War as explanations of his political decline. I argue instead that Baker's eclipse was caused by his attempts to straddle a widening ideological divide between liberal and conservative Democrats over internationalism and federal activism. The story of Baker's political decline is thus part of a much bigger story of the Democrats' failure to reconcile their ideological heritage of localism, States' rights and progressivism with the New Deal.