The Political Graveyard: Baker-Landon-Dirksen-Kassebaum family of Tennessee

Baker-Landon-Dirksen-Kassebaum family of Tennessee

Note: This is just one of 612 family groupings listed on The Political Graveyard web site. These families each have three or more politician members, all linked together by blood, marriage or adoption.

Some families traditionally (and perhaps properly) considered separately are joined together here if linked by marriage or otherwise. These groupings — even the names of the groupings, and the state or lists of states of main activity — are the result of a computer algorithm, not the choices of any historian or genealogist.

Alfred Mossman Landon (1887-1987) — also known as Alf M. Landon — of Independence, Montgomery County, Kan.; Topeka, Shawnee County, Kan. Born in West Middlesex, Mercer County, Pa., September 9, 1887. Son of John Manuel Landon and Anne (Mossman) Landon; married, January 9, 1915, to Margaret Fleming; married, January 15, 1930, to Theo Cobb; father of Nancy Josephine Landon (who married Howard Henry Baker, Jr.). Republican. Oil producer; Governor of Kansas, 1933-37; candidate for President of the United States, 1936; delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1940, 1944, 1948. Methodist. English ancestry. Member, Freemasons; Elks; Odd Fellows; Phi Delta Phi; Phi Gamma Delta. Died October 12, 1987. Interment at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Topeka, Kan.
- See also Baker-Landon-Dirksen-Kassebaum family of Tennessee
- See also: National Governors Association biography.
- Books by Alfred M. Landon: America at the Crossroads (out of print)
- Books about Alfred M. Landon: Donald R. McCoy, Landon of Kansas (out of print)
Everett McKinley Dirksen (1896-1969) — also known as Everett M. Dirksen; "The Wizard of Ooze" — of Pekin, Tazewell County, Ill. Born in Pekin, Tazewell County, Ill., January 4, 1896. Father of Joy Dirksen (who married Howard Henry Baker, Jr.). Republican. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; merchant; U.S. Representative from Illinois 16th District, 1933-49; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1940 (alternate), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960; U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1951-69; died in office 1969. Christian Reformed. Member, American Bar Association; Izaak Walton League; American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Freemasons; Shriners; Order of the Eastern Star; Eagles; Elks; Moose; Odd Fellows. Died, of lung cancer, at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., September 7, 1969. Interment at Glendale Memorial Gardens, Pekin, Ill.
- See also Baker-Landon-Dirksen-Kassebaum family of Tennessee
- See also: congressional biography; Internet Movie Database profile.
- Books about Everett Dirksen: Byron C. Hulsey, Everett Dirksen and His Presidents: How a Senate Giant Shaped American Politics
Irene Bailey Baker (1901-1994) — also known as Edith Irene Bailey — of Tennessee. Born in Sevierville, Sevier County, Tenn., November 17, 1901. Married, September 15, 1935, to Howard Henry Baker; step-mother of Howard Henry Baker, Jr.. Republican. U.S. Representative from Tennessee 2nd District, 1964-65. Female. Died April 2, 1994. Burial location unknown.
- See also Baker-Landon-Dirksen-Kassebaum family of Tennessee
- See also: congressional biography.
Howard Henry Baker (1902-1964) — also known as Howard H. Baker — of Huntsville, Scott County, Tenn. Born in Somerset, Pulaski County, Ky., January 12, 1902. Son of James Frances Baker and Helen (Keen) Baker; married, September 15, 1935, to Edith Irene Bailey; father of Howard Henry Baker, Jr.. Republican. Lawyer; newspaper publisher; member of Tennessee state house of representatives, 1929-30; candidate for Governor of Tennessee, 1938; delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1940, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960; candidate for U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 1940; board chairman, First National Bank of Oneida; U.S. Representative from Tennessee 2nd District, 1951-64; died in office 1964. Presbyterian. Member, American Bar Association; Order of the Coif; Freemasons; Shriners; Elks; Phi Alpha Delta; Phi Kappa Phi; Sigma Nu. Died, following a heart attack, at Fort Sanders Presbyterian Hospital, Knoxville, Knox County, Tenn., January 7, 1964. Interment at Sherwood Memorial Gardens, Knoxville, Tenn.
- See also Baker-Landon-Dirksen-Kassebaum family of Tennessee
- See also: congressional biography.
Howard Henry Baker, Jr. (b. 1925) — also known as Howard H. Baker — of Huntsville, Scott County, Tenn. Born in Huntsville, Scott County, Tenn., November 15, 1925. Son of Dora (Ladd) Baker and Howard Henry Baker; step-son of Irene Bailey Baker; married, December 22, 1951, to Joy Dirksen (died 1993) (daughter of Everett McKinley Dirksen); married, December 7, 1996, to Nancy Landon Kassebaum (daughter of Alfred Mossman Landon). Republican. Served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; lawyer; U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 1967-85; defeated, 1964; delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1972; candidate for Republican nomination for President, 1980; Presidential Elector for Tennessee, 2000; U.S. Ambassador to Japan, 2001. Presbyterian. Member, American Bar Association; Phi Delta Phi; Pi Kappa Phi. Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984. Still living as of 2001.
- See also Baker-Landon-Dirksen-Kassebaum family of Tennessee
- See also: congressional biography; Internet Movie Database profile.
Nancy Landon Kassebaum (b. 1932) — also known as Nancy Josephine Landon; Nancy Kassebaum Baker — of Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kan. Born in Topeka, Shawnee County, Kan., July 29, 1932. Daughter of Alfred Mossman Landon and Theo Landon; married, June 8, 1955, to John Philip Kassebaum; married, December 7, 1996, to Howard Henry Baker, Jr.. Republican. U.S. Senator from Kansas, 1978-97; appointed 1978. Female. Episcopalian. Still living as of 1998.
- See also Baker-Landon-Dirksen-Kassebaum family of Tennessee
- See also: congressional biography; votes in Congress from the Washington Post.

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