Howard Baker Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Howard Baker
Official portrait, 2001

26th United States Ambassador to Japan
In office July 5, 2001 – February 17, 2005
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Tom Foley
Succeeded by	Tom Schieffer
12th White House Chief of Staff
In office February 27, 1987 – July 3, 1988
President	Ronald Reagan
Deputy	Kenneth Duberstein
Preceded by	Donald Regan
Succeeded by	Kenneth Duberstein
Senate Majority Leader
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985
Deputy	Ted Stevens
Preceded by	Robert Byrd
Succeeded by	Bob Dole
Senate Minority Leader
In office March 5, 1980 – January 3, 1981
Deputy	Ted Stevens
Preceded by	Ted Stevens (acting)
Succeeded by	Robert Byrd
In office January 3, 1977 – November 1, 1979
Deputy	Ted Stevens
Preceded by	Hugh Scott
Succeeded by	Ted Stevens (acting)
Leader of the Senate Republican Conference
In office January 3, 1977 – November 1, 1979
Deputy	Ted Stevens
Preceded by	Hugh Scott
Succeeded by	Ted Stevens
In office March 5, 1980 – January 3, 1985
Deputy	Ted Stevens
Preceded by	Ted Stevens
Succeeded by	Bob Dole
United States Senator from Tennessee
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1985
Preceded by	Ross Bass
Succeeded by	Al Gore

Personal details
Born	Howard Henry Baker Jr. (1925-11-15)November 15, 1925 Huntsville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	June 26, 2014(2014-06-26) (aged 88) Huntsville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Joy Dirksen (m. 1951; died 1993) Nancy Landon (m. 1996)
Children	2
Parent	Howard Baker Sr. (father)
Education	Tulane University University of the South University of Tennessee (LLB)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1943–1946
Battles/wars	World War II

Howard Henry Baker Jr. (born November 15, 1925 – died June 26, 2014) was an American politician and diplomat. He served as a U.S. Senator for Tennessee from 1967 to 1985. During his time in the Senate, he became the Senate Minority Leader and later the Senate Majority Leader.

Howard Baker was a member of the Republican Party. He was the first Republican from Tennessee to be elected to the U.S. Senate since the Reconstruction era.

People in Washington, D.C. called him the "Great Conciliator." This was because he was very good at finding ways for different groups to agree. He helped pass important laws, like the Clean Air Act of 1970. He was respected by politicians from both parties.

Baker tried to become president in 1980 but stopped his campaign early. From 1987 to 1988, he worked for President Ronald Reagan as his White House Chief of Staff. Later, from 2001 to 2005, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.

Early Life and Education
Senate Career
Role in the Nixon Administration
- Watergate Investigation
Presidential Campaign
Reagan Administration
Later Life and Legacy
Death
Honors and Awards
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Howard Baker was born in Huntsville, Tennessee. His father, Howard Baker Sr., was also a Republican who served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Howard Baker Jr. went to The McCallie School and then to Tulane University. During World War II, he served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy. After the war, he studied law and graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1949. He then started his career as a lawyer.

Senate Career

Howard Baker first ran for the U.S. Senate in 1964 but lost. However, he came very close to winning, which was unusual for a Republican in Tennessee at that time.

In 1966, he ran again and won the election. This made him the first Republican senator from Tennessee since the Reconstruction period. As a senator, he voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1968. He also supported Thurgood Marshall becoming a judge on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Baker was re-elected in 1972 and 1978. He served in the Senate from January 3, 1967, to January 3, 1985. In 1977, his Republican colleagues chose him to be their leader in the Senate.

He served two terms as Senate Minority Leader (1977–1981). Then, after Republicans won more seats in 1980, he became the Senate Majority Leader (1981–1985). He decided not to run for re-election in 1984. Al Gore, who later became Vice President, took his place.

Role in the Nixon Administration

In 1971, President Richard Nixon considered Howard Baker for a position on the US Supreme Court. However, Baker took some time to decide, and Nixon chose someone else instead.

Watergate Investigation

From 1973 to 1974, Senator Baker played a very important role in the Senate Watergate Committee. This committee investigated the Watergate scandal. He was the main Republican member on the committee.

During the investigation, Baker famously asked, "What did the President know and when did he know it?" This question became well-known and helped guide the investigation.

Presidential Campaign

Howard Baker was often thought of as a possible candidate for Vice President of the United States in 1976. However, President Gerald Ford chose someone else.

In 1980, Baker ran for U.S. president. He wanted to win the Republican nomination. But he dropped out of the race early after losing some important early elections. One reason his campaign struggled was his support for the 1978 Panama Canal Treaties. Many Republicans did not like these treaties.

Reagan Administration

In 1984, Howard Baker received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can get in the United States.

In 1983, he voted to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday.

President Ronald Reagan asked Baker to be his White House Chief of Staff from 1987 to 1988. This was a very important job. Baker was known for his ability to negotiate and work well with others. Many believed his appointment helped improve relations between the White House and the Senate. By taking this job, Baker chose not to run for president again in 1988.

Later Life and Legacy

In 2003, the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy was created at the University of Tennessee. This center honors his work and focuses on public policy. Important figures like Vice President Dick Cheney and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor attended ceremonies for the center.

In 2007, Baker helped start the Bipartisan Policy Center. This group works to find solutions to problems that both major political parties can agree on. He believed in working together across party lines.

Howard Baker was also a talented photographer throughout his life. His photos were shown in famous magazines like National Geographic and Life. He also published several books of his photographs.

Death

Howard Baker passed away on June 26, 2014, at the age of 88. He died from problems caused by a stroke. He was in his hometown of Huntsville, Tennessee, with his wife, Nancy, by his side.

Honors and Awards

He received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 1973.
He was given the US Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service in 1981.
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984.
The rotunda at the University of Tennessee College of Law was named after him.
He received an honorary doctorate degree from East Tennessee State University in 2007.
He received the Order of the Paulownia Flowers from Japan in 2008.

Personal Life

Howard Baker was a Presbyterian. He was married twice. His first wife, Joy Dirksen, was the daughter of former Senate Minority Leader Everett M. Dirksen. They had two daughters. After Joy passed away in 1993, he married Nancy Landon Kassebaum in 1996. Nancy was also a U.S. Senator and the daughter of a former Kansas Governor.