Thomas Nelson Baker Sr. facts for kids
Thomas Nelson Baker, Sr. was an amazing minister, writer, and thinker. He was born into slavery, but he made history! He was the first African-American person in the United States to earn a PhD in philosophy.
The Story of Thomas Nelson Baker
Thomas Nelson Baker was born on August 11, 1860, in Eastville, Virginia. His parents, Thomas Chadwick and Edith Nottingham Baker, were enslaved on a plantation in Northampton County, Virginia.
His father later joined the Union army. After the Civil War ended, Baker's mother taught him to read. This was a very brave act because teaching enslaved people to read was against the law.
My mother taught me my letters, although I well remember when she learned them herself. My first reading lesson was the second chapter of Matthew, the Bible being the only book we had. I never read a bad book in my life which is one of the blessings I got by being poor. I began to attend the common schools at eight and learned to love books passionately. I used to read through my recesses. Evenings I read the Bible to my parents and grandparents, while they listened with weeping eyes, thankful that I had the great blessing of being able to read.
When he was 12, his father took him out of school. This made Thomas want to learn even more! After nine years without many books, he finally entered the Hampton Institute Normal School program. He worked very hard and graduated as the top student in his class.
To get ready for college, he went to Mount Hermon Boys School in 1886. He was 25 years old and one of only two Black students there. During the summers, he even worked as a substitute principal. He graduated from Mount Hermon in June 1889.
In 1890, he started at Boston University. Three years later, he graduated as the top student in his class again! He then studied at Yale Divinity School, where he earned a degree. He became a minister at a church in New Haven. He kept studying at Yale and earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1903. His special project was about "The Ethical Significance of the Connection Between Mind and Body."
On August 1, 1901, he moved to Pittsfield to become the minister at Second Congregational Church. He stayed in this important role for 37 years! He took over from Rev. Dr. Samuel Harrison.
Thomas Nelson Baker had strong ideas about race. His thoughts were part of big discussions in the early 1900s between famous leaders like W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. A philosopher named George Yancy has written a lot about Baker, explaining that his work was not always recognized.
Baker's wife, Lizzie Baytop Baker, was an important leader for African American women in Western Massachusetts. She passed away before him. Rev. Dr. Baker died at home on February 22, 1941, from an accidental gas poisoning.
His family continued to achieve great things. His son, Dr. T. Nelson Baker, Jr., was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry from Ohio State in 1941. His first grandson, Dr. T. Nelson Baker, III, earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Cornell University in 1963. His second grandson, Newman Taylor Baker, and one of his great-grandchildren, Andrea Baker, are both international music artists!
