Baker, Benjamin

 

Name	Baker, Benjamin
Born	1872
Deceased	1942
Birthplace	Suwannee County Florida
Biographical Summary	At a time when the social norm was to call blacks in the south by their first names, there was an exception made for Benjamin Baker, one of the earliest black educators in Southwest Florida. As the first principal of Punta Gorda’s all black public school, he was always called Professor Baker. In fact, many of the people living in Punta Gorda, who knew Professor Baker, never knew his first name. Baker was born in Live Oak, Florida in 1872 to former slaves, who could read and write, unusual because education for slaves had been prohibited. At nineteen, he became a teacher, and taught in Suwannee and Columbia counties for over 10 years. Then in I902, Governor Albert Gilchrist, a supporter of education for all Punta Gorda children, appointed Dan Smith to the Board of Education. Mr. Smith met Baker at a conference and recruited him to teach black students in the area. A two-room schoolhouse was built for his new students on East Marion Avenue at the foot of Cooper Street. Under Baker’s direction, the school quickly outgrew its location, and was relocated to a larger facility blocks away. Known as a strict disciplinarian, Baker was also remembered fondly by those he taught as someone who cared about his students. He taught and was principal at his school, known as the Baker Academy, for nineteen years until he retired in 1939. Soon after Baker died in 1942 at the age of 70, a new elementary school opened for black children on Charlotte Avenue in Punta Gorda, and the School Board named it Baker Academy. Today, this is the site of the Baker Center, which offers pre-school, Head Start and adult education programs. Sources: Article by Lindsey Williams, various newspaper articles.
Occupation	Teacher Founder of Baker's Academy
Places of residence	Live Oak, Florida Punta Gorda, Florida
Spouse	2 wives
Children	no children
Father	Benjamin Joshua Baker