Edward was born in a covered wagon on the 28th of December 1865, in Laramie County of what was the Territory of Dakota at the time, now Wyoming. His mother was black and his father was a white, French-Canadian, fur trapper and according to descendants, the last name was either Boulanger or Boulangerie, which translates to baker in French. Edward enlisted in the US Army in July of 1882, at the age of 16 and served with the 9th Cavalry Regiment. Edward’s first reenlistment came about a year before the Spanish-American War began and when he deployed to Cuba, he was a Sergeant Major with the 10th Cavalry Regiment and his actions on the 1st of July 1898, during the Battle of San Juan Hill, would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

Left cover and, under fire, rescued a wounded comrade from drowning.

He was wounded twice in an arm during the rescue but managed to still save Private Marshall. Within a month, Edward received a commission and by August, was a First Lieutenant of the 10th US Volunteer Infantry. He reached the rank of Captain before a short break in service in 1901 and received the Medal of Honor on the 3rd of July 1902. Edward rejoined the Army, now as a Second Lieutenant with the Philippine Scouts, and caught the tail end of the Philippine Insurrection. After 26 years of service, he retired as a Captain on the 31st of October 1909, and he was married to Mary Brown, with whom they had five children: three daughters and two sons.

Education was very important to Edward, a trait that was passed down to his descendants today. His son’s middle names were Sheridan and Murat, named after Philip Sheridan (a Union Civil War General) and Joachim Murat (a French cavalry commander during the Napoleonic Wars). Edward’s grandson, Thomas Kuykendall, would enlist in the US Navy and served on board the USS Hornet when the Doolittle Raid was launched in 1942 and survived when it was attacked and sank during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Another grandchild, Paul Kuykendall, became the first black motorcycle officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. Two other notable descendants of Edward are grandson Dexter Gordon, who became an Oscar nominated jazz saxophonist, and Fulton Kuykendall, a UCLA graduate and NFL linebacker for the 1975-1985 Atlanta Falcons.

Edward Lee Baker Jr died on the 26th of August 1913, at the age of 47 and he is buried with his wife in the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles, California: Section 3, Lot 130, Grave 2 SE. His original gravestone is labeled with Philippine Scouts, but not the Medal of Honor. A modern marker has been added that notes his Medal and being a Captain with the 10th US Cavalry.

A correction has been made regarding the middle names of Edward’s children. The information I had been given was misinterpreted and it was his sons, not his daughters, that had middle names of cavalry officers.