Local Black History: Dr. Thomas Nelson Baker

Dr. Thomas Nelson Baker was born enslaved in 1860 on a plantation in Eastville. His father was a soldier in the Civil War. His mother taught herself letters, spelling, and counting and passed that knowledge to Baker. Her enthusiasm for education was not lost on her son. From a young age, Baker was passionate about receiving an education. When he was a child, his mother sent him to public school a few months out of the year, and when she could afford it, she would send him to private school. However, when he turned 12, their growing family required Baker to begin working on the farm with his father.

In 1881, after several years without studying, Baker began attending the Hampton Normal School. Upon graduation, he began teaching in the Dismal Swamp of Virginia. Baker was not done with school, however. He continued his studies at Mt. Hermon School and the College of Liberal Arts of Boston University until he was accepted into Yale’s Divinity School. In 1896, Baker received a Bachelor of Divinity and in 1903, he received a Ph. D. in philosophy from Yale. Baker was ordained in New Haven, Connecticut and was a pastor for 43 years. His dissertation, “The Ethical Significance of the Connection Between Mind and Body,” challenged society’s ethics, ideals, and motivations. Baker is the only African American philosopher known to have been born enslaved.

“My passion is to teach,” Baker has written, “I hope to come into touch with thinking youth of my race and help them lay the foundations for a thoughtful and ethicized religion.” Baker was an extraordinary man with a zest for life that allowed him to be an inspiring leader. He passed away in 1941 at the age of 80.