Howard H. Baker, Sr. was born in Somerset, Kentucky, on January 12, 1902. He was educated in the public schools of Scott and Knox counties, Tennessee. Attending the University of Tennessee, Howard Baker, Sr. received an A.B. degree in 1922 and an L.L.B. degree in 1924. He served in the Tennessee Legislature from 1929-30, and from 1934-48 he was attorney general for the nineteenth judicial circuit of Tennessee. Howard Baker, Sr. was elected to the 82nd Congress on November 7, 1950, to serve the people of Tennessee’s Second Congressional District, which is composed of Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union counties. He was elected to the next six Congresses, and at the time of his death, January 7, 1964, he was the second ranking Republican on the House of Representative’s powerful Ways and Means Committee.
The papers of Howard and Irene Baker, who both served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee’s Second District, were donated to the University of Tennessee on March 1, 1973, by Irene Baker. The Baker collection is made up of legislative files, correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, speeches, bills, and myriad associated items. Of special importance in the collection are Howard Baker, Sr.’s works concerning the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Atomic Energy Commission, since both greatly affected the livelihood of the people of the Second District. Also of note is his work on the tax structure of the United States, stemming from his position on the House Ways and Means Committee. The collection is divided into two parts. Boxes 1-22 deal with Howard Baker, Sr.’s work, and boxes 22-30 with Irene Baker’s work. However, some of Howard Baker, Sr.’s work carries over into Irene Baker’s, so the entire collection should be examined in researching a particular subject or topic. The collection is stored in approximately 50 linear feet of boxes. The collection’s index is found at Howard and Irene Baker Papers.