Key facts
- Nancy Kassebaum, a three-term U.S. senator from Kansas, died at 94.
- She was the first woman elected to a full Senate term without succeeding her husband.
- Kassebaum co-sponsored the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
- She chaired the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee.
- Kassebaum was the daughter of 1936 Republican presidential nominee Alfred Landon.
Nancy Kassebaum, a trailblazing three-term U.S. senator from Kansas and a key figure in bipartisan health care reform, has died at the age of 94. Known later in life as Nancy Kassebaum Baker following her marriage to former Sen. Howard Baker, her death was confirmed by her son, William Kassebaum.
Kassebaum made history in 1978 as the first woman elected to a full term in the U.S. Senate without succeeding her husband. Her political journey began with a school board position before she entered the national political arena. She emerged from a competitive primary to defeat a prominent Democratic candidate, quickly becoming a notable figure in the Republican party.
During her tenure, Kassebaum became the first woman since Hattie Caraway to chair a standing Senate committee, leading the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. She is perhaps best known for her co-sponsorship of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), also known as the Kennedy-Kassebaum Act, which aimed to ensure individuals could maintain health insurance coverage when changing jobs and protect medical information privacy. President Bill Clinton signed the legislation into law.
Regarded as a centrist, Kassebaum worked collaboratively across party lines, though she held conservative stances on defense and economic issues. She also supported abortion rights, opposed apartheid in South Africa, and backed the Equal Rights Amendment. Former Sen. Bob Dole described her as having a quiet voice but a strong will.
Born Nancy Josephine Landon, she was the daughter of Alfred "Alf" Landon, the 1936 Republican presidential nominee. Kassebaum often credited her political education to dinner table discussions with her father. She earned degrees from the University of Kansas and the University of Michigan before returning to Kansas to work in a family business and serve on a local school board. After her divorce from Philip Kassebaum, she moved to Washington D.C. and worked for Sen. James B. Pearson before launching her own successful Senate campaign.
Kassebaum's election victories in 1978, 1984, and 1990 were decisive. Upon entering the Senate, she was one of only a few women to have served in the chamber, and she was part of efforts to challenge Senate rules regarding women's attire on the Senate floor. She later married Howard Baker, who had served as Senate majority leader and White House chief of staff, accompanying him to Japan during his ambassadorship.