Advisory Board » Howard Baker
Howard Baker Biography
Howard H. Baker, Jr. served three terms as a United States Senator from Tennessee (1967-1985) and was Tennessee's first popularly elected Republican Senator.
Senator Baker gained national recognition in 1973 as Vice Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee. Three years later, he was keynote speaker at the Republican National Convention and was a 1980 candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. He concluded his Senate career in 1985 after two terms as Majority Leader (1981 to 1985) and two terms as Minority Leader (1977 to 1981). He was President Reagan's Chief of Staff from February 1987 to July 1988.
A delegate to the United Nations in 1976, Senator Baker has extensive foreign policy experience. He served on the President's Foreign Intelligence Board from 1985 to 1987 and from 1988 to 1990 and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs. He serves on the board of the Forum of International Policy and is an International Counselor for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Among his many awards are the 1984 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, and the Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service Performed by an Elected or Appointed Official, which he received in 1982.
In 2001 President George W. Bush appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
Howard Baker Statement
I'm a life-long and proud Republican. Unlike some, however, I don't believe loyalty to party precludes common sense decision and policy-making. Some of our Nation's greatest triumphs have come when political leaders have not allowed partisan differences to deter their efforts to find solutions that are in the Nation's best interest.
Throughout my time as Senate Majority Leader, I took pride in seeking and heeding the advice of my colleagues from the other side of the aisle. Unfortunately, it would seem that now-a-days in many instances, times have changed and partisan rhetoric in Washington now often impedes our public policy making process.
I've admired for years the successes that bipartisanship has produced for our country. As many may remember Everett Dirksen was my father-in-law. As a young lawyer and legislator in Washington I learned much by watching Senator Dirksen and his good friend, President Lyndon Johnson conduct the public's business. I myself enjoyed a similar friendship with Democratic Senator Edmund Muskie during my service in the U.S. Senate. We certainly had many philosophical/partisan differences, but I believe our ability to work together on the Nation's environmental problems has been of great benefit to this country and a model for the world. And will stand the test of time.
Our most valued public servants - whether Democratic or Republican - should be inspired by just such a sense of duty, a sense of service and a deep desire to do what is right for our Nation, whether it is politically advantageous or not. I believe the BPC will serve as an important mechanism in promoting common sense public discourse. I look forward to working with my colleagues on issues that are vital to this great country.
