Former US Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker has died at the age of 94. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Nancy Kassebaum Baker was the first woman elected to the US Senate from Kansas. She served as a senator from 1978 to 1997. In the Senate, she focused on healthcare reform, including the passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), signed into law in 1996.
Kassebaum Baker was born on July 29, 1932, in Topeka, Kansas. Her father, Alf Landon, was the Republican nominee for US President in 1936. Nancy graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in diplomacy.
As a senator, she paid special attention to women's rights, healthcare, and education. She also supported US efforts against Soviet troops in Afghanistan.
After leaving the Senate in 1996, she married Howard Baker, a former US Ambassador to Japan, in 2001. Howard Baker passed away in 2014.
Her family confirmed the news of her death. Her name will be remembered in US history as a figure who contributed to the advancement of women in politics.