Former Kansas Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker Dies at 94

Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, the first woman to represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate, died Friday of natural causes at a hospice care facility in Manhattan, Kansas, at the age of 94.

A three-term Republican who served from 1978 to 1997, Kassebaum Baker was a political trailblazer and the first woman to chair a major standing committee in the Senate. As chair of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, she passed legislation ensuring the portability of health insurance coverage. She also helped override President Ronald Reagan's veto of a 1986 bill that imposed economic sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Known as a moderate, she championed the Equal Rights Amendment, a ban on assault weapons, and abortion rights. She also established the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and passed legislation limiting liability for general aviation aircraft manufacturers. The daughter of former Kansas Governor Alf Landon and widow of former Senator Howard Baker, she was recognized for her independent approach to governance.

In her later years, Kassebaum Baker broke with the Republican Party. She called for the impeachment of Donald Trump following the January 6 Capitol attack, endorsed Democratic Governor Laura Kelly, and supported Kamala Harris in 2024. Her family announced that a private memorial service will be held at a later date.