26 Facts About Howard Baker

Howard Baker sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 but dropped out after the first set of primaries.

Howard Baker's father served as a Republican member of the US House of Representatives from 1951 to 1964, representing Tennessee's Second District.

Howard Baker attended The McCallie School in Chattanooga, and after graduating, he attended Tulane University in New Orleans.

Howard Baker was an alumnus of the Alpha Sigma Chapter of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.

Howard Baker served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy and graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1949.

Howard Baker began his political career in 1964, when he lost to the liberal Democrat Ross Bass in a US Senate election to fill the unexpired term of the late Senator Estes Kefauver.

However, Howard Baker only lost by 4.7 percentage points, the closest that a Republican had come to being popularly elected to the Senate from Tennessee.

Howard Baker won the general election, capitalizing on Clement's failure to energize the Democratic base, especially organized labor.

Howard Baker won by a somewhat larger-than-expected margin of 55.7 percent to Clement's 44.2 percent.

Howard Baker thus became the first Republican senator from Tennessee since Reconstruction and the first Republican to be popularly elected to the Senate from Tennessee.

Howard Baker voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the US Supreme Court.

Howard Baker was re-elected in 1972 and again in 1978 and served from January 3,1967, to January 3,1985.

Howard Baker led the Senate GOP for the last eight years of his tenure, serving two terms as Senate Minority Leader from 1977 to 1981, and two terms as Senate Majority Leader from 1981 to 1985, a role he transitioned to after the Republicans gained the majority in the Senate in the 1980 elections.

Howard Baker did not seek further re-election and concluded his Senate career in 1985.

Howard Baker was succeeded by Democratic Representative and future Vice President Al Gore.

When Howard Baker took too long to decide whether he wanted the appointment, Nixon changed his mind and nominated William Rehnquist instead.

In 1973 and 1974, Howard Baker was the influential ranking minority member of the Senate Watergate Committee, chaired by Senator Sam Ervin, which investigated the Watergate scandal.

John Dean, former White House counsel to Nixon, revealed to Senate Watergate chief counsel Samuel Dash that Howard Baker had "secret dealings" with the White House during the congressional investigation.

Howard Baker was frequently mentioned by insiders as a possible nominee for Vice President of the United States on a ticket headed by incumbent President Gerald Ford in 1976.

Howard Baker's support of the 1978 Panama Canal Treaties was overwhelmingly unpopular, especially among Republicans, and it was a factor in Reagan's choosing Bush instead as his running mate.

In October 1983, Howard Baker voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr.

In 2007, Howard Baker joined fellow former Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole, Tom Daschle, and George Mitchell to found the Bipartisan Policy Center, a non-profit think tank that works to develop policies suitable for bipartisan support.

Howard Baker was an advisory board member for the Partnership for a Secure America, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy.

From 2005 to 2011, Howard Baker was a member of the board of directors of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, a nonprofit that provides international election support.

On June 26,2014, Howard Baker died at the age of 88 from complications of a stroke that he had suffered a week earlier.

Howard Baker was in his native Huntsville, Tennessee, with his wife, Nancy, by his side.