Key facts
- Nancy Kassebaum Baker, a former U.S. senator from Kansas, died at 94.
- She was the first woman elected to the Senate without a spouse precedent.
- Kassebaum Baker served three terms, from 1978 to 1997, known for her moderate Republican stance.
- She was the daughter of former Kansas Governor Alf Landon.
- She married former Senator Howard Baker in 1996.
- Later in life, she endorsed Democratic candidates and called for President Donald Trump's impeachment.
Nancy Kassebaum Baker, a pioneering figure in American politics and the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without a familial connection to a previous senator, has died at the age of 94. Kassebaum Baker, who represented Kansas for 18 years, passed away peacefully from natural causes.
Born Nancy Landon Kassebaum, she was the daughter of Alf Landon, the 1936 Republican presidential nominee. She carved her own path in politics, winning her first Senate election in 1978 as a moderate Republican. She served three terms, earning a reputation for her independent-minded approach and willingness to cross party lines, notably supporting a ban on assault weapons championed by President Bill Clinton. Her colleagues included liberal Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, with whom she co-sponsored a 1996 health insurance law.
Kassebaum Baker's modest demeanor and centrist politics resonated with Kansans, allowing her to win re-election with significant margins. Despite her popularity, her voting record sometimes frustrated conservative activists. She earned degrees from the University of Kansas and the University of Michigan, and before her Senate career, she worked as a radio-station executive and served on a school board.
In 1996, she married former Senator Howard Baker, a Tennessee Republican. They were the first couple to have both served in the Senate. After leaving the Senate in 1997, Kassebaum Baker remained engaged in public service, participating in commissions on campaign finance reform and serving alongside her husband during his ambassadorship to Japan. In her later years, she broke with the Republican Party's increasingly conservative direction, endorsing Democratic candidates and calling for President Donald Trump's impeachment following the January 6th Capitol attack.