Nancy Kassebaum, Kansas' long-serving Republican senator, dies at 94

Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, a historic Republican senator from Kansas and the first woman to represent the state in the Senate, has died at the age of 94. Her son, Bill Kassebaum, confirmed that she died of natural causes.

The daughter of Kansas' historic governor and Republican presidential candidate Alf Landon, she was born in 1932 in Topeka. She graduated from the University of Kansas and later earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan. Before entering politics, she worked in the communications industry.

Kassebaum Baker represented Kansas in the Senate for three terms, from 1978 to 1997. She was also the first woman to represent the state in the Senate. In 1990, she won the election for her final term with 73% of the vote. She did so on the same ticket that saw Democrats win the state governorship.

Furthermore, she was the first woman elected to the Senate for a full term without taking office as the successor to a husband who had previously held a seat in Congress.

Perhaps the senator's signature legislation was the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, on which she worked alongside her colleague Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. The bill sought to make it easier for workers to maintain their health insurance coverage when changing jobs. It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

A few months before leaving the Senate, Kassebaum married Howard Baker, a former senator from Tennessee, former Republican Senate majority leader and later U.S. ambassador to Japan. They remained together until Baker's death in 2014.

In January 2025, President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor in the United States. The medal was accepted on her behalf by Cynthia Baker.

"Kansas lost part of its soul when Nancy Kassebaum died. Senator Kassebaum cared deeply about Kansas, about our country. No one worked harder, or smarter, to make our world a better place," said Laura Kelly, the Democratic governor of Kansas.

Jerry Moran, a Republican senator from Kansas, wrote the following on social media: "Senator Kassebaum’s time in public service embodied the institution of the U.S. Senate at its best. I campaigned for her in western Kansas during her first election in 1978, as well as the campaigns that followed. She was never afraid to challenge me in our conversations, but she was always a friend and encourager."

"She was deeply respected across our state, and Kansans remain grateful for the way in which she represented us with such intelligence and integrity," he added.