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LaMar Baker Papers

Dates

1964-1988

Creator

Baker, LaMar

Summary/Abstract

The Baker contain memorabilia, and photographs relating to the political career of Tennessee Republican State Representative and Senator and U.S. Congressman LaMar Baker.

Quantity/Physical Description

Less than 1 linear foot of documents.

Language(s)

English

Repository

Albert Gore Research Center, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, (615) 898-2632

Restrictions on Access

None

Copyright

The donor transferred all legal title, copyright, and other rights as the donor might have possessed in these materials to the public through Middle Tennessee State University. It is presumed that any corporate and individual copyrights in manuscripts, ph

Preferred Citation

(Box Number, Folder Number), LaMar Baker Papers, Albert Gore Research Center, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Acquisition

LaMar Baker donated materials to the Tennessee State Museum in 2002; the Tennessee State Museum transferred materials to Middle Tennessee State University in 2002.

Processed By

Original processor undetermined. Sarah Calise, Archivist, created an updated finding aid in September 2017.

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in a single series of papers and publications. Memorabilia is separated from the paper documents and photographic images are stored with the Albert Gore Research Center photograph collection.

Biographical Note

LaMar Baker (1915-2003) was a Tennessee businessman and Republican political figure. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Baker attended high school at David Lipscomb (1936-1938) and received his Bachelor of Science degree at Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas (1940). He served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II from 1942 to 1946.

Baker was a successful Chattanooga businessman prior to his election to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1966. In 1968, he was elected to the Tennessee State Senate, and in 1970, he received the Republican nomination for the Chattanooga-based Congressional District to replace Bill Brock, who was elected to the United States Senate.

Baker served two terms in Congress and won reelection fairly easily in the Republican landslide year of 1972 (in which President Nixon won all but five of Tennessee’s 95 counties). He was also a delegate to the Republican National Convention that year, but in 1974, he was defeated for reelection by moderate Democrat Marilyn Lloyd. He lost a rematch against Lloyd in 1976. From 1981 to 1985, he served as the regional representative to the United States Secretary of Transportation Drew Lewis. He lived the remainder of his years in Nashville, Tennessee.

Scope and Content

The Baker papers contains publications, memorabilia, plaques, and photographs relating to the political career of Tennessee Republican State Representative and Senator and U.S. Congressman LaMar Baker. Most of the materials are dated from the 1970s and 1980s.

Papers and Publications, 1971-1988 and undated. These papers contain an assortment of committee, convention, and political platform information.

In addition to these documents, there is an assortment of memorabilia (see Associated Materials) and photographic images.

Associated Materials

Memorabilia, 1964- circa 1985(2 boxes) The Memorabilia series includes campaign bumper stickers, buttons, charms, key chains, key holders, pins, The bulk of these items date to the 1970s. These items are stored separately with the Albert Gore Research Cen

Related Collections

The LaMar Baker Papers also contain 87 photographs of the Congressman and his colleagues. They are housed separately in the Gore Research Center Photograph Collection.