Howard Baker

Howard Baker
Official portrait, 2001
26th United States Ambassador to Japan
In office
July 5, 2001 – February 17, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byTom Foley
Succeeded byTom Schieffer
12th White House Chief of Staff
In office
February 27, 1987 – July 3, 1988
PresidentRonald Reagan
DeputyKenneth Duberstein
Preceded byDonald Regan
Succeeded byKenneth Duberstein
Senate Majority Leader
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985
WhipTed Stevens
Preceded byRobert Byrd
Succeeded byBob Dole
Senate Minority Leader
In office
March 5, 1980 – January 3, 1981
WhipTed Stevens
Preceded byTed Stevens (acting)
Succeeded byRobert Byrd
In office
January 3, 1977 – November 1, 1979
WhipTed Stevens
Preceded byHugh Scott
Succeeded byTed Stevens (acting)
Leader of the Senate Republican Conference
In office
January 3, 1977 – November 1, 1979
DeputyTed Stevens
Preceded byHugh Scott
Succeeded byTed Stevens
In office
March 5, 1980 – January 3, 1985
DeputyTed Stevens
Preceded byTed Stevens
Succeeded byBob Dole
United States Senator
from Tennessee
In office
January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1985
Preceded byRoss Bass
Succeeded byAl Gore
Personal details
Born
Howard Henry Baker Jr.

(1925-11-15)November 15, 1925
Huntsville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedJune 26, 2014(2014-06-26) (aged 88)
Huntsville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Danice Joy Dirksen
(m. 1951; died 1993)
(m. 1996)
Children2
Parents
EducationTulane University
University of the South
University of Tennessee (LLB)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1943–1946
Battles/warsWorld War II

Howard Henry Baker Jr. (November 15, 1925 – June 26, 2014) was an American politician, diplomat and photographer who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1967 to 1985. During his tenure, he rose to the rank of Senate Minority Leader and then Senate Majority Leader. A member of the Republican Party, Baker was the first Republican to be elected to the U.S. Senate in Tennessee since the Reconstruction era.

Known in Washington, D.C., as the "Great Conciliator", Baker was often regarded as one of the most successful senators in terms of brokering compromises, enacting legislation, and maintaining civility. For example, he had a lead role in the fashioning and passing of the Clean Air Act of 1970 with Democratic senator Edmund Muskie.[1] A moderate conservative, he was also respected by his Democratic colleagues.[2]

Baker sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 but dropped out after the first set of primaries. From 1987 to 1988, he served as White House Chief of Staff for President Ronald Reagan. From 2001 to 2005, he was the United States Ambassador to Japan.

  1. ^ “Early Implementation of the Clean Air Act of 1970 in California.” EPA Alumni Association. Video, Transcript (see p2). July 12, 2016.
  2. ^ Hunt, Albert R. (July 1, 2014). "Howard Baker, Senate prince showed great statesmanship". The Olympian. Retrieved July 5, 2014.