Kassebaum Baker served three terms representing Kansas from 1978 to 1997
Nancy Kassebaum Baker died Friday at age 94 of natural causes, according to her son, Bill Kassebaum, who confirmed her death to The Associated Press.
“She loved Kansas. She loved people from Kansas and representing Kansas for 18 years in the U.S. Senate,” Bill Kassebaum told the AP. “She was an independent-minded Republican who was willing to stand up for what she thought was right, even if that meant going against the party.”
Kassebaum Baker entered the U.S. Senate in 1978 and served three terms representing Kansas before retiring early in 1997. She was the first woman elected to the chamber without following a spouse into office, a distinction that set her apart when she arrived in Washington.
She was the daughter of Gov. Alf Landon, the unsuccessful 1936 Republican nominee for president. Her father was known for his moderate, progressive Republican politics — political leanings his daughter shared throughout her own career.
After leaving the Senate, Kassebaum Baker continued to take on public service roles. In 1996, she married former Sen. Howard Baker, a Tennessee Republican. He died in 2014.
Her modest demeanor endeared her to voters of all political stripes, and she could work with Senate colleagues of all political philosophies. A 1996 health insurance law bore her name alongside that of liberal Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Kassebaum Baker remained an icon for Kansans generally, well after her Senate service ended.