Former U.S. Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker passed away on Friday at the age of 94.

Kassebaum  was born on July 29, 1932, in Topeka, the daughter of Theo and Alf Landon. Her father was a former Kansas governor and the 1936 Republican nominee for president. She was a graduate of the University of Kansas and the University of Michigan. Kassebaum worked as vice president of Kassebaum Communications, a family-owned company that operated several radio stations. She also served on the School Board in the City of Maize, just west of Wichita. Kassebaum was first elected to national office in 1978 when she beat a crowded Republican primary field to be come Kansas’ first female U.S. Senator. She was reelected in 1984 and again in 1990, but chose not seek a fourth term in 1996. Kassebaum was awarded an honorary doctorate from Kansas State University in 2015.

Her family has stated that there will be a private memorial service at a later date and has requested those who would like to make memorial donation to direct them to the Kansas 4-H Foundation or the Capper Foundation.