Irene Baker
Encyclopedia
Edith Irene Bailey Baker (17 November 1901 – 2 April 1994) was a United States Representative
from Tennessee
, the first woman to represent that state in the United States Congress
as a member of the Republican Party
. She was the widow of Howard Baker, Sr.
, and the stepmother of Howard Baker, Jr.
Irene Baker was born Edith Irene Bailey in Sevierville, Tennessee
, on 17 November 1901, and attended public schools in Sevierville and Maryville
.
She served as Deputy County Court Clerk of Sevier County
(1918–22) and as Deputy Clerk and Master of Chancery Court (1922–24).
After her first husband's death, she went to work for the Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA). In 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, and a daughter of their own, Beverly Irene Baker.
She served on the Republican National Committee
from 1960 to 1964. After her husband died suddenly in office on 7 January 1964, she 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 serving only as a caretaker who would not seek further election; and she fulfilled that promise. While in Congress, she served on the House Committee on Government Operations and advocated for a balanced federal budget, coal mining
interests, TVA, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission programs in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
, and cost of living increases in Social Security
pensions.
After leaving Congress in 1965 she became Director of Public Welfare in Knoxville, Tennessee
, a position she held until 1971. She died on 2 April 1994 in Loudon, Tennessee
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, the first woman to represent that state in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
as a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. She was the widow of Howard Baker, Sr.
Howard Baker, Sr.
Howard Henry Baker, Sr. was a United States Representative from Tennessee. He was a member of the Republican Party.-Biography:Baker was born in Somerset, Kentucky in 1902 to James F...
, and the stepmother of Howard Baker, Jr.
Howard Baker
Howard Henry Baker, Jr. is a former Senate Majority Leader, Republican U.S. Senator from Tennessee, White House Chief of Staff, and a former United States Ambassador to Japan.Known in Washington, D.C...
Irene Baker was born Edith Irene Bailey in Sevierville, Tennessee
Sevierville, Tennessee
Sevierville is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 11,757 at the 2000 United States Census; in 2004 the estimated population was 14,101. Sevierville is the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee....
, on 17 November 1901, and attended public schools in Sevierville and Maryville
Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville is the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. The city is located south of Knoxville. Maryville's population was 27,258 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Maryville has received a number of accolades for its...
.
She served as Deputy County Court Clerk of Sevier County
Sevier County, Tennessee
Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...
(1918–22) and as Deputy Clerk and Master of Chancery Court (1922–24).
After her first husband's death, she went to work for the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
(TVA). In 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, and a daughter of their own, Beverly Irene Baker.
She served on the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
from 1960 to 1964. After her husband died suddenly in office on 7 January 1964, she ran as a Republican in the Special Election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
to fill the remainder of his term, defeating Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Willard Yarbrough, a Knoxville journalist. As a candidate for the seat, she promised to serving only as a caretaker who would not seek further election; and she fulfilled that promise. While in Congress, she served on the House Committee on Government Operations and advocated for a balanced federal budget, coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
interests, TVA, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission programs in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
, and cost of living increases in Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
pensions.
After leaving Congress in 1965 she became Director of Public Welfare in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, a position she held until 1971. She died on 2 April 1994 in Loudon, Tennessee
Loudon, Tennessee
Loudon is a city in and the county seat of Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 4,476 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located in eastern Tennessee, southwest of Knoxville, on the Tennessee River...
.