Nancy Jo Kassebaum Baker (née Landon; born July 29, 1932) is an American politician who represented the State of Kansas in the United States Senate from 1978 to 1997. She is the daughter of Alf Landon, who was Governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937 and the 1936Republican nominee for president, and the widow of former Senator and diplomat Howard Baker. She was the first woman ever elected to a full term in the Senate without her husband having previously served in Congress.[a] She is also the first woman to have represented Kansas in the Senate. Kassebaum was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1996.[1]
She worked as vice president of Kassebaum Communications, a family-owned company that operated several radio stations. Kassebaum also served on the Maize School Board. In 1975, Kassebaum and her husband were legally separated; their divorce became final in 1979. Kassebaum worked in Washington, D.C., as a caseworker for Senator James B. Pearson of Kansas in 1975, but returned to Kansas the following year.[4]
Career
Elections
She was the first woman ever elected to a full term in the U.S. Senate without her husband having previously served in Congress, and the third woman elected to a Senate seat without it being held first by her husband (following never married Gladys Pyle of South Dakota in 1938, the first woman to enter the Senate through election and first woman to run for both governor and U S Senator and Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was first elected to the House of Representatives to fill her husband's vacancy but later won four Senate elections starting in 1948) or appointed to complete a deceased husband's term. She was also the first woman to represent Kansas in the Senate.
At the time that she entered the race, Kassebaum was legally separated from her husband Philip but not yet divorced. She chose to use the name Nancy Landon Kassebaum to capitalize on the political fame of her father.[5] She defeated eight other Republicans in the 1978 primary elections to replace retiring Republican James B. Pearson and then defeated former DemocraticCongressmanBill Roy (who narrowly lost a previous election bid to Kansas's junior senator, Bob Dole, in 1974) in the general election. After her first few years in office, "her maiden name was used less and less as the senator established her own credibility and credentials as a federal lawmaker." For the rest of her political career, she was primarily known as Nancy Kassebaum.[6] She was re-elected to her Senate seat in 1984 and 1990 but did not seek re-election in 1996.
Early in her career, she was tapped to serve as Temporary Chairman of the 1980 Republican National Convention. Presiding over the first two days of the convention, her appointment to that role was seen by many as a nod from the Reagan campaign to the moderate and liberal wings of the party.
Kassebaum is an Advisory Board member for the Partnership for a Secure America, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy. She is also a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.[14]
^Of the woman Senators who preceded Kassebaum: Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-GA), Rose McConnell Long (D-LA), Dixie Bibb Graves (D-AL), Vera C. Bushfield (R-SD), Eva Bowring (R-NE), Elaine S. Edwards (D-LA), Muriel Humphrey (D-MN), Maryon Pittman Allen (D-AL) were all appointed and were never elected; Gladys Pyle (R-SD) and Hazel Abel (R-NE), were elected, but not to full terms (i.e., to complete terms where the previous senator had died or resigned, not to new six-year terms); Hattie Caraway (D-AR) and Maurine Brown Neuberger (D-OR) were both elected to full six-year terms, but their husbands had held the seat previously. Margaret Chase Smith's (R-ME) husband never served in the Senate, but he did serve in the House. When he died, Margaret won the ensuing election. Of the appointed senators, Long, Bushfield, Humphrey, and Allen were all appointed to fill out part of the terms of their deceased husbands, while Graves and Edwards were appointed by their husbands, the Governor of their states at the time. However, Kassebaum's father means that the first woman to be elected without any family connections was Paula Hawkins (R-FL), elected in 1980.
References
^"APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
^"Nancy Kassebaum and Howard Baker". The New York Times. 8 December 1996 – via NYTimes.com.
^women in congress: Nancy Landon Kassebaum 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
^"KASSEBAUM, Nancy Landon - US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov.
^"Nancy Landon Kassebaum Intends To Use Dad's Name", The Fort Scott Tribune (March 22, 1978), p. 4.
^"Salute To Senator: Her Retirement Came As No Surprise, But Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Still Will Be Missed By Kansans", Lawrence Journal-World (November 21, 1995).
^"The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
^"TO PASS H.R. 3706. (MOTION PASSED) SEE NOTE(S) 19".
^"TO PASS S 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE THE BROAD COVERAGE AND CLARIFY FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY PROVIDING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION IS FEDERALLY FUNDED, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE".
^"TO ADOPT, OVER THE PRESIDENT'S VETO OF S 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE BROAD COVERAGE OF FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY DECLARING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION RECEIVES FEDERAL FUNDS, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE. TWO-THIRDS OF THE SENATE, HAVING VOTED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, OVERRODE THE PRESIDENTIAL VETO".
^"Kassebaum regrets vote for Thomas". Knight-Rider News Service. May 27, 1995. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
^Reported in Wendy Kaminer, "Crashing the Locker Room", The Atlantic (July 1992), Vol, 270, p. 59-60.
^. 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016.
Kassebaum, Nancy Landon. To Form a More Perfect Union Presidential Studies Quarterly 2004-12-21 at the Wayback Machine 18 (Spring 1988): 241–49.
Marshall-White, Eleanor (1991). Catalysts for Change: Interpretive Biographies of Shirley St. Hill Chisholm, Sandra Day O'Connor, and Nancy Landon Kassebaum, Vantage Press, ISBN0-533-09130-6
nancy, kassebaum, nancy, kassebaum, baker, née, landon, born, july, 1932, american, politician, represented, state, kansas, united, states, senate, from, 1978, 1997, daughter, landon, governor, kansas, from, 1933, 1937, 1936, republican, nominee, president, wi. Nancy Jo Kassebaum Baker nee Landon born July 29 1932 is an American politician who represented the State of Kansas in the United States Senate from 1978 to 1997 She is the daughter of Alf Landon who was Governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937 and the 1936 Republican nominee for president and the widow of former Senator and diplomat Howard Baker She was the first woman ever elected to a full term in the Senate without her husband having previously served in Congress a She is also the first woman to have represented Kansas in the Senate Kassebaum was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1996 1 Nancy KassebaumChair of the Senate Labor CommitteeIn office January 3 1995 January 3 1997Preceded byTed KennedySucceeded byJim JeffordsUnited States Senatorfrom KansasIn office December 23 1978 January 3 1997Preceded byJames PearsonSucceeded byPat RobertsPersonal detailsBornNancy Jo Landon 1932 07 29 July 29 1932 age 90 Topeka Kansas U S Political partyRepublicanSpouse s Philip Kassebaum m 1956 div 1979 wbr Howard Baker m 1996 died 2014 wbr Children4 including Bill and RichardParentAlf Landon father EducationUniversity of Kansas BA University of Michigan MA Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Elections 2 2 Tenure 3 Personal life 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksEarly life and education EditBaker was born in Topeka Kansas the daughter of Kansas First Lady Theo nee Cobb and Governor Alf Landon 2 She attended Topeka High School and graduated in 1950 She graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1954 where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta In 1956 she received a master s degree in diplomatic history from the University of Michigan where she met her first husband Philip Kassebaum They married in 1956 They settled in Maize Kansas where they raised two children 3 She worked as vice president of Kassebaum Communications a family owned company that operated several radio stations Kassebaum also served on the Maize School Board In 1975 Kassebaum and her husband were legally separated their divorce became final in 1979 Kassebaum worked in Washington D C as a caseworker for Senator James B Pearson of Kansas in 1975 but returned to Kansas the following year 4 Career EditElections Edit She was the first woman ever elected to a full term in the U S Senate without her husband having previously served in Congress and the third woman elected to a Senate seat without it being held first by her husband following never married Gladys Pyle of South Dakota in 1938 the first woman to enter the Senate through election and first woman to run for both governor and U S Senator and Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was first elected to the House of Representatives to fill her husband s vacancy but later won four Senate elections starting in 1948 or appointed to complete a deceased husband s term She was also the first woman to represent Kansas in the Senate At the time that she entered the race Kassebaum was legally separated from her husband Philip but not yet divorced She chose to use the name Nancy Landon Kassebaum to capitalize on the political fame of her father 5 She defeated eight other Republicans in the 1978 primary elections to replace retiring Republican James B Pearson and then defeated former Democratic Congressman Bill Roy who narrowly lost a previous election bid to Kansas s junior senator Bob Dole in 1974 in the general election After her first few years in office her maiden name was used less and less as the senator established her own credibility and credentials as a federal lawmaker For the rest of her political career she was primarily known as Nancy Kassebaum 6 She was re elected to her Senate seat in 1984 and 1990 but did not seek re election in 1996 Tenure Edit Kassebaum is a moderate to liberal Republican who is known for her health care legislation known as the Kennedy Kassebaum Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act which was co sponsored by Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy a Democrat She was also active in foreign policy She expressed strong support of anti apartheid measures against South Africa in the 1980s 7 and traveled to Nicaragua as both an election observer and to encourage diplomatic resolutions to the conflict between the Contras and the Sandinistas Secretary of Defense William S Cohen and Nancy Kassebaum answer a reporter s question during a joint press briefing in 1997 Early in her career she was tapped to serve as Temporary Chairman of the 1980 Republican National Convention Presiding over the first two days of the convention her appointment to that role was seen by many as a nod from the Reagan campaign to the moderate and liberal wings of the party Kassebaum voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr Day as a federal holiday and the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 as well as to override President Reagan s veto 8 9 10 Kassebaum voted in favor of the Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination Kassebaum voted to confirm Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court in 1991 a vote she would later come to regret expressing disappointment in his performance 11 The year after the hearings she noted I was never once asked by anyone at the White House or by any of my colleagues about how I reacted to Anita Hill s public allegations of sexual harassment or how I thought the allegations should be handled 12 In 1991 Kassebaum was mentioned by Time magazine as a possible running mate for President George H W Bush if Vice President Dan Quayle was not the Republican vice presidential candidate in the 1992 U S presidential election 13 Personal life EditKassebaum is an Advisory Board member for the Partnership for a Secure America a not for profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy She is also a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One 14 In 1996 she married former U S Senator Howard Baker Jr of Tennessee 15 He died in 2014 Her son William Kassebaum is a former member of the Kansas House of Representatives 16 Her other son filmmaker Richard Kassebaum died of a brain tumor August 27 2008 at the age of 47 Her daughter Linda Josephine Kassebaum Johnson a veterinarian died December 6 2020 at age 62 17 As of 2015 she resides at a family ranch near Burdick Kansas 18 She is a noted critic of President Donald Trump 19 In 2018 she alongside other incumbent and former Republican politicians endorsed Laura Kelly the Democratic candidate and eventual victor in the 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election 20 Kassebaum also endorsed Republican turned Democrat Barbara Bollier for the 2020 Senate election in Kansas over her Republican opponent Roger Marshall In 2014 Kassebaum expressed support for same sex marriage 21 See also Edit Biography portalWomen in the United States SenateNotes Edit Of the woman Senators who preceded Kassebaum Rebecca Latimer Felton D GA Rose McConnell Long D LA Dixie Bibb Graves D AL Vera C Bushfield R SD Eva Bowring R NE Elaine S Edwards D LA Muriel Humphrey D MN Maryon Pittman Allen D AL were all appointed and were never elected Gladys Pyle R SD and Hazel Abel R NE were elected but not to full terms i e to complete terms where the previous senator had died or resigned not to new six year terms Hattie Caraway D AR and Maurine Brown Neuberger D OR were both elected to full six year terms but their husbands had held the seat previously Margaret Chase Smith s R ME husband never served in the Senate but he did serve in the House When he died Margaret won the ensuing election Of the appointed senators Long Bushfield Humphrey and Allen were all appointed to fill out part of the terms of their deceased husbands while Graves and Edwards were appointed by their husbands the Governor of their states at the time However Kassebaum s father means that the first woman to be elected without any family connections was Paula Hawkins R FL elected in 1980 References Edit APS Member History search amphilsoc org Retrieved 2021 12 13 Nancy Kassebaum and Howard Baker The New York Times 8 December 1996 via NYTimes com women in congress Nancy Landon Kassebaum Archived 2011 07 23 at the Wayback Machine KASSEBAUM Nancy Landon US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov Nancy Landon Kassebaum Intends To Use Dad s Name The Fort Scott Tribune March 22 1978 p 4 Salute To Senator Her Retirement Came As No Surprise But Sen Nancy Kassebaum Still Will Be Missed By Kansans Lawrence Journal World November 21 1995 The Free Lance Star Google News Archive Search news google com TO PASS H R 3706 MOTION PASSED SEE NOTE S 19 TO PASS S 557 CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT A BILL TO RESTORE THE BROAD COVERAGE AND CLARIFY FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY PROVIDING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION IS FEDERALLY FUNDED THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE TO ADOPT OVER THE PRESIDENT S VETO OF S 557 CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT A BILL TO RESTORE BROAD COVERAGE OF FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY DECLARING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION RECEIVES FEDERAL FUNDS THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE TWO THIRDS OF THE SENATE HAVING VOTED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE OVERRODE THE PRESIDENTIAL VETO Kassebaum regrets vote for Thomas Knight Rider News Service May 27 1995 Retrieved May 10 2015 Reported in Wendy Kaminer Crashing the Locker Room The Atlantic July 1992 Vol 270 p 59 60 Time Covers The 90 S Hosted by Google 19 April 2016 Archived from the original on 19 April 2016 Issue One ReFormers Caucus Nancy Kassebaum and Howard Baker The New York Times 1996 12 08 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2019 01 07 Our Campaigns Candidate William A Kassebaum www ourcampaigns com Retrieved 2019 01 07 Linda Josephine Kassebaum Johnson Marion County RECORD Newspaper from Marion KS September 30 2015 1 October 2015 Archived from the original on 1 October 2015 Donald Trump draws the ire of Nancy Kassebaum at the Robert J Dole Institute of Politics The Kansas City Star Retrieved November 7 2018 Hunter Woodall GOP stalwart Nancy Kassebaum picks Democrat Laura Kelly over Kris Kobach Kansas City Star September 2018 Republicans From the West Give Support for Gay Marriage Erik Eckholm The New York Times March 3 2014External links EditCongressional Biography Appearances on C SPAN Kassebaum Nancy Landon To Form a More Perfect Union Presidential Studies Quarterly Archived 2004 12 21 at the Wayback Machine 18 Spring 1988 241 49 Marshall White Eleanor 1991 Catalysts for Change Interpretive Biographies of Shirley St Hill Chisholm Sandra Day O Connor and Nancy Landon Kassebaum Vantage Press ISBN 0 533 09130 6Party political officesPreceded byJames Pearson Republican nominee for U S Senator from Kansas Class 2 1978 1984 1990 Succeeded byPat RobertsU S SenatePreceded byJames Pearson U S Senator Class 2 from Kansas1978 1997 Served alongside Bob Dole Sheila Frahm Sam Brownback Succeeded byPat RobertsPreceded byTed Kennedy Chairman of the Senate Labor Committee1995 1997 Succeeded byJim JeffordsU S order of precedence ceremonial Preceded byRuss Feingoldas Former US Senator Order of precedence of the United Statesas Former US Senator Succeeded byByron Dorganas Former US Senator Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nancy Kassebaum amp oldid 1138807903, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
