edward j. baker
Year of Birth:
1868
Immortal:
Yes
OwnerBreeder:
Yes
Owner:
Yes
Elected as Immortal:
1959
Year of Death:
1959
Biography:
Born in St. Charles, Illinois in 1868, Edward Baker inherited most of the estate of his wealthy brother-in-law, John W. Gates in 1918. A patron of harness horses who owned more champions than any of his contemporaries, Baker became a collector of 2:00 horses headed by the champion Greyhound 1:55 1/4, Winnipeg 1:57 3/4, Her Ladyship,1:56 3/4, Volo Song,1:57 3/4, Doctor Spencer,1:59 1/2, and Algiers 1:58 4/5. Colonel Baker's main farm was in St. Charles. When he retired from the sport in 1947, he sold everything except the farm and Greyhound, who was retired there. Colonel Baker died in 1959 in St. Charles at the age of ninety.
Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1994 book, The Immortals