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Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and named for early Texas circuit-riding minister Daniel Baker (1791-1857), this institution was founded in 1888 by the Rev. Brainard Taylor McClelland (1845-1901). The college officially was chartered on April 5, 1889. McClelland, under whose leadership Brownwood's First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1876, served as the college's first president. His wife, Susan Mary Smith McClelland, was a member of the college faculty and assumed a leadership role for two years following her husband's death. Land for the college campus was donated by brothers Samuel R. and Modie J. Coggin. The first class of Daniel Baker graduates, consisting of eight students, received diplomas in May 1895. In addition to academic instruction, the college also featured an active sports program, with football, baseball, track, and basketball teams. Plagued with financial problems throughout its history, the college was briefly affiliated with the Methodist and Episcopal denominations. Finally, in 1953, it was consolidated with Howard Payne College, a Baptist school also located in Brownwood. (1992) |
