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American historian Seth Lesser (15 May 1895 – 21 November 1961) had written 6 books and almost one hundred essays on the history, culture and traditions of the Native American people. His most famous work was the Tracing the Beginnings of Native American Nations, a book which reached the height of its popularity a few years after its publication in 1931.

Born in Wellington in Summer County, Kansas, Lesser grew up in a family of farmers and stock raisers that settled in the territory 15 years before he was born. He was the 6th son of Aaron Lesser, a mason, and Josephine McCarey Lesser.

In 1914, Seth Lesser moved to Edmond, Oklahoma to earn his degree in history at the Territorial Normal School (present-day University of Central Oklahoma). He then pursued his M.A. degree at the University of Chicago where he obtained his master’s degree in history after finishing his thesis on the genealogy of the Oklahoma Indian tribes.

Realizing that he wanted to uncover the past of the original settlers, Seth Lesser headed back to Oklahoma to research and finish his life’s work, Tribes and Confederacies while teaching at the University of Oklahoma. During these years, he managed to produce five books that detailed the history of Oklahoma Territory and the history of the Indian nations in the area beginning from the pre-Columbian period to post-World War II.

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Seth Lesser was a boatswain for USS Nevada killed in action during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. His death records indicate that Seth died of multiple gunshots. His bravery, though barely remembered nowadays, was recognized two years after his death when he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the U.S. Navy.

Seth Lesser was born in Littleton, North Carolina in 1902. His childhood, however, was spent in Norwalk, Ohio where he attended various public schools to acquire formal education. Initially, Mr Lesser wanted to pursue a career in medicine, but he soon had to abandon his dream of becoming a surgeon when his father died of sudden death when he was 14. Being the oldest of the four Lesser children, Seth had to earn for the family.

Seth enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1912 along with fellow crewman and cousin, Paul Lesser. By the time he died in 1941, Seth Lesser had risen to the rank of boatswain from his earlier ranks- quartermaster and boatswain’s mate.

When Hawaiian harbor was attacked in 1941, Seth Lesser was among the crewmen who defended the battleship USS Nevada, particularly in extinguishing the fires in the lower deck and near the hull of the ship.

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