Irene Bailey Baker

Edith Irene Bailey Baker (November 17, 1901 – April 2, 1994) was an American politician and a United States Representative from Tennessee. A member of the Republican Party, she served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1963 to 1965, participating in the legislative process during a significant period in American history. She was the widow of Representative Howard Baker Sr. and the stepmother of future U.S. Senator Howard H. Baker Jr.

Baker was born in Sevierville, Tennessee, on November 17, 1901. She attended public schools in Sevierville and Maryville, Tennessee, receiving the local education that prepared her for a lifetime of public service and administrative work. Her early years in East Tennessee rooted her in the communities she would later represent and serve in various governmental capacities.

Baker began her public career in county government at a young age. From 1918 to 1922, she served as Deputy County Court Clerk of Sevier County, Tennessee. She then worked as Deputy Clerk and Master of the Chancery Court from 1922 to 1924. These early positions gave her practical experience in legal and administrative procedures and introduced her to the workings of local government. After the death of her first husband, she joined the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), an important New Deal agency that played a central role in the economic and infrastructural development of the Tennessee Valley region.

On September 15, 1935, she married Howard Baker Sr., a widower with two children, Howard H. Baker Jr. and Mary Elizabeth Baker. Together they raised his two children from his first marriage and had a daughter of their own, Beverly Irene Baker. Through this marriage she entered more directly into political life, as Howard Baker Sr. would later be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee. Edith Irene Bailey Baker became active in Republican politics in her own right and served on the Republican National Committee from 1960 to 1964, helping to shape party activities and strategy during a pivotal era in national and Southern politics.

Baker’s congressional service arose from personal loss and political continuity. When her husband, Representative Howard Baker Sr., died suddenly in office on January 7, 1964, she became a candidate in the special election to fill the remainder of his term. Running as a Republican, she defeated Democrat Willard Yarbrough, a Knoxville journalist. She had campaigned as a caretaker candidate, explicitly promising to serve only the balance of her late husband’s term and not to seek further election, a pledge she honored. She served in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 10, 1964, to January 3, 1965, representing Tennessee and contributing to the legislative process during one term in office.

During her tenure in Congress, Baker served on the House Committee on Government Operations. She advocated a balanced federal budget and was a strong supporter of regional economic interests. She championed coal mining interests and supported the work of the Tennessee Valley Authority, reflecting her earlier professional association with the TVA. She also backed U.S. Atomic Energy Commission programs in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, recognizing their importance to both national security and the local economy. In addition, she supported cost-of-living increases in Social Security pensions, aligning herself with efforts to protect older Americans’ income. As one of only ten Republicans from the South serving in the House at that time, she voted against the Civil Rights Act, placing herself on the side of the Southern bloc of opposition to that landmark legislation.

After leaving Congress in 1965, Baker continued her public service at the local level. She became Director of Public Welfare in Knoxville, Tennessee, a position she held until 1971. In this role she oversaw social service programs and welfare administration, extending her long record of engagement with public institutions and community needs beyond elective office.

Edith Irene Bailey Baker died in Loudon, Tennessee, on April 2, 1994, at the age of 92. She was interred at Sherwood Memorial Gardens in Loudon. Her life and career linked local county service, New Deal-era administration, party leadership, and a brief but notable tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, and she remains recognized among the women who have served in the United States House of Representatives.