Irene Baker
Irene Baker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 2nd district | |
| In office March 10, 1964 – January 3, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Baker Sr. |
| Succeeded by | John Duncan Sr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edith Irene Bailey November 17, 1901 |
| Died | April 2, 1994 (aged 92) |
| Citizenship |  United States |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Howard Baker Sr. |
| Children |
|
| Profession | politician |
Edith Irene Bailey Baker (November 17, 1901 – April 2, 1994) was an American politician and a United States Representative from Tennessee. She was the widow of Howard Baker Sr. and the stepmother of Howard Baker Jr.
Biography
[edit]Baker was born in Sevierville, Tennessee, on November 17, 1901, and attended public schools in Sevierville and Maryville.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]Baker served as Deputy County Court Clerk of Sevier County from 1918 to 1922 and as Deputy Clerk and Master of Chancery Court from 1922 to 1924.[citation needed]
After her first husband's death, Baker went to work for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). On September 15, 1935, she married Howard Baker Sr., who was a widower with two children. The couple raised Baker's two children from his first marriage, Howard H. Baker Jr. and Mary Elizabeth Baker, as well as a daughter of their own, Beverly Irene Baker. She served on the Republican National Committee from 1960 to 1964.[1]
When her husband died suddenly in office on January 7, 1964, Baker ran as a Republican in the special election to fill the remainder of his term, defeating Democrat Willard Yarbrough, a Knoxville journalist. As a candidate for the seat, she promised to serve only as a caretaker who would not seek further election; and she fulfilled that promise, and served from March 10, 1964, to January 3, 1965.[2] While in Congress, she served on the House Committee on Government Operations and advocated for a balanced federal budget. She also championed coal mining interests, the TVA, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission programs in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and cost of living increases in Social Security pensions.[3] As one of ten Republicans from the South, she voted against the Civil Rights Act.[4]
After leaving Congress in 1965, Baker became Director of Public Welfare in Knoxville, Tennessee, a position she held until 1971.[5]
Death
[edit]Baker died in Loudon, Tennessee on April 2, 1994 (age 92 years, 136 days). She is interred at Sherwood Memorial Gardens, in Loudon, Tennessee.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Irene Bailey Baker". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Irene Bailey Baker". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ↑ Irene Bailey Baker. Women in Congress, 1917–2006. 2006. ISBN 978-0-16-076753-1. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ↑ "H.R. 7152. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. ADOPTION OF A … -- House Vote #182 -- Jul 2, 1964".
- ↑ Irene Bailey Baker. Tennessee Biographical Dictionary. January 1, 2000. ISBN 978-0-403-09700-5. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Irene Bailey Baker". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
External links
[edit]- United States Congress. "Irene Baker (id: B000064)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Irene Bailey Baker in Women in Congress, 1917–2006, prepared under the direction of the Committee on House Administration by the Office of History & Preservation, U. S. House of Representatives. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2006.
- Irene Baker at Find a Grave
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