Background

He was a naval officer in World War II, received a law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1949, and practiced law in Huntsville and in Knoxville. Baker had grown up in a political home--his father and stepmother were both Republican representatives in Congress--and he married the daughter of Republican Senator Everett Dirksen. In 1964 Baker ran for the Senate and lost. He tried again in 1966 and won, becoming the first Republican ever popularly elected to the Senate from Tennessee. He was reelected in 1972 and 1978. In 1973 Baker gained national exposure as vice chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee. This gave him hope of becoming President Gerald Ford's running mate in 1976, but he was passed over. In 1977 Baker was elected Senate Republican leader. He became Senate majority leader in 1981 and served until he retired from the Senate in 1985.

Career

From the beginning of his career, Baker showed a willingness to compromise and seldom took extreme positions. In his first Senate race, in 1964, Baker did not campaign against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, though his Democratic opponent had voted for it. As a senator, Baker supported the Panama Canal treaties. He was a moderate on environmental issues. He was generally pro-Pentagon--he supported the Vietnam War but, as one of the Senate's less strident hawks, he sometimes gave at least lukewarm support to arms control negotiations with the Soviet Union.

Politics

a moderate Republican

Connections

Spouse:

Everett Dirksen