Duncan Statement on Passing of Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr.

Statement

We have lost one of the greatest public servants Tennessee has ever had, and one of the greatest statesmen this Nation has ever known.

I have known Senator Baker for most of my life, and he was a real hero to me. I admired and respected him almost as much as my own father.

Senator Baker served with great honor and distinction in the U.S. Senate, as Chief of Staff for President Reagan, and as Ambassador to Japan. He gave me the privilege to be one of his two witnesses before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in support of his nomination as ambassador.

I also had the privilege of introducing and passing the bill to name the federal building in Knoxville after Senator Baker.

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