Overview
- Her son, Bill Kassebaum, confirmed she died Friday of natural causes at age 94.
- Kassebaum Baker served three terms in the U.S. Senate from 1978 to 1997 and was the first woman elected to the Senate without following a spouse into office.
- She built a reputation as an independent-minded moderate who worked across the aisle and co-sponsored a landmark 1996 health-insurance measure with Sen. Ted Kennedy.
- After leaving the Senate she stayed in public life, married former Sen. Howard Baker in 1996, served on bipartisan commissions and boards, and accompanied her husband when he was U.S. ambassador to Japan.
- Kansas and national leaders issued wide tributes that highlighted her independence and service, a reaction that underscores the fading presence of moderate Republicans and could shape how state politics remember bipartisan governance.