BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " EDWARD L. BAKER Jr " WAS AN AAFRICAN AMERICAN UNITED STATES ARMY SERGEANT MAJOR THAT RECEIVED THE MEDAL OF HONOR FOR ACTION DURING THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK HEROES "

               BLACK   SOCIAL  HISTORY                                                                                                                      

Edward L. Baker, Jr.

Edward Lee Baker, Jr.
Edward Baker in the uniform of the United States Volunteers
Born	December 28, 1865 Laramie County, Wyoming
Died	August 26, 1913 (aged 47) Los Angeles, California
Place of burial	Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery Los Angeles, California
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1882 - 1901, 1902 - 1909
Rank	Captain
Unit	10th Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars	Spanish-American War
Awards	Medal of Honor

Edward Lee Baker, Jr. (December 28, 1865, Laramie County, Wyoming – August 26, 1913, Los Angeles) was an African-American United States Army Sergeant Major that received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Spanish-American War— while under fire, he rescued a wounded soldier from drowning.

He is interred in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery, which is in Los Angeles, California. His grave can be found in section 3, lot 130, grave 2 SE.^[1]

A notable African-American Medal of Honor recipient, Baker is also known for being the maternal grandfather of jazz saxophonist and Oscar nominee Dexter Gordon. He was the father of Gordon's mother, Gwendolyn Baker.

Military career

Baker enlisted as a trumpeter in July 1882, and rose to the rank of Sergeant Major in the Regular Army. He was commissioned as a First Lieutenant of the 10 US Volunteer Infantry in August 1898, and promoted to Captain of the 49th US Volunteer Infantry a year later, mustering out with the regiment in June 1901. He was re-commissioned as a Second Lieutenant with the Philippine Scouts in February 1902, and permanently left the Army with the rank of Captain in 1909.^[2]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization: Sergeant Major, 10th U.S. Cavalry. Place and Date: At Santiago, Cuba, July 1, 1898. Birth: Laramie County, Wyoming. Date of Issue: July 3, 1902.

Citation:

Left cover and, under fire, rescued a wounded comrade from drowning.^[3]