Nancy Kassebaum Baker, former US senator from Kansas, dies at 94
The moderate Republican broke barriers as the first woman elected to the Senate from Kansas and co-authored a 1996 health insurance law with Ted Kennedy.
- Former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker, the first woman elected to the Senate from Kansas, died Friday at age 94 of natural causes, according to her son Bill Kassebaum.
- Daughter of 1936 presidential nominee Alf Landon, Kassebaum Baker launched her underdog 1978 campaign against her father's doubts and overcame a crowded primary field to secure the nomination with less than 31 percent of the vote.
- Known for bipartisan work, Kassebaum Baker chaired the Labor and Human Resources committee and co-authored a 1996 health insurance law with liberal Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, establishing her reputation across party lines.
- Following her Senate retirement in 1997, Kassebaum Baker married former Tennessee Sen. Howard Baker in 1996, then served four years in Japan after President George W. Bush named him ambassador in 2001.
- Later in life, Kassebaum Baker broke with the Republican Party, endorsing Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. She declared in 2021 that President Donald Trump should be impeached, telling KMBC, "This just has gone too far.
130 Articles
130 Articles
Conservative Journal Reviewcapitalisminstitute.orgNancy Kassebaum Baker Dead at 94: Kansas Senate Pioneer
Former Republican Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker, a Kansas trailblazer who served three terms and became only the second woman to chair a Senate standing committee, has died of natural causes at 94. Kassebaum Baker's granddaughter Nellie confirmed her death to KCTV5 on Friday, August 21, 2026. Her son, Bill Kassebaum, told the Associated Press that she died of natural causes after a life defined by public service and a willingness to buck her own pa…
Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker dies at 94
TOPEKA — Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, who fractured a political glass ceiling as the first woman to represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate and the first woman to be elected to the Senate without having previously filled an unexpired congressional term, died Friday. Kassebaum, 94, grew up in Topeka and began her personal journey in politics as a member of the Maize school board. In 1978, she defeated eight Republicans to seize the nomination for U.…
Former Kansas Sen. Nancy Kassebaum remembered as trailblazer
Former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker, who broke multiple barriers for women in the Senate, has died at the age of 94. The Kansas Republican died of natural causes in hospice care on Aug. 21, her son Bill Kassebaum confirmed to The New York Times. Memorials came in from across the political spectrum in Kansas. Democratic […]
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