Former U.S. Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, the wife of former Tennessee Sen. Howard Baker, died Aug. 21. She was 94.Kassebaum Baker was the 14th woman to serve in the Senate. She represented Kansas from 1978–1997, following in the footsteps of her father, former Kansas Gov. Alfred Landon.Kassebaum was a Republican but was lauded for her independent stance on issues.
"Sen. Kassebaum Baker represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate for 18 years, building a reputation for independence, civility and a willingness to work across differences," the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairsposted on Facebook.
She worked on policies such as reducing the federal debt and international arms control and was the second woman in history
to chair a standing Senate committee.
"She was admired wherever she lived," former Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander said in a written statement Aug. 22. "To Nancy’s Kansas and Tennessee families, I express my sympathy and my respect for her life."
Kassebaum Baker knew from a young age she would go into politics and make decisions to help improve people’s lives.“I enjoyed politics and public policy so much,” Kassebaum Baker said, according to her congressional biography, “that there were times in high school and college when I mused about becoming actively involved as a candidate.”In her first Senate primary election, she beat eight other candidates. Her slogan was “A fresh face: a trusted Kansas name.”“It has been said I am riding on the coattails of my dad,” she said, according to her biography, “but I can’t think of any better coattails to ride on.”Kassebaum Baker had support from fellow trailblazing women in politics, including former Maine Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, who wrote her a note where she “expressed special pride in the fact that Kassebaum Baker ‘ran as a candidate first, and a woman second,’” according to Kassebaum Baker's biography.Kassebaum Baker married the former Tennessee senator in 1996, the same year she retired from Congress. Howard Baker died in 2014. Kassebaum Baker had four children with her first husband, Phillip Kassebaum: John, Linda, Richard, and William.
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker, who married former Sen. Howard Baker, dies at 94
