Howard H. Baker; top right: addressing Alpha Sigma Chapter; lower right: with Fred Thompson during Watergate hearings
Representing his home state of Tennessee, Baker was first elected to be a U.S. Senator in 1966. In 1973 he served on the committee that investigated the Watergate scandalÑnotorious for pointedly asking the question “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” From 1977Ñ1981 he served for two terms as the Senate Minority Leader before serving two more terms as the Senate Majority Leader from 1981Ñ1985. He briefly campaigned for the GOP presidential nomination in 1980, but his dedication to the Senate prevented him from running a strong campaign. Baker took on the role of Chief of Staff for the Reagan administration from 1987Ñ1988. From 2001Ñ2005 he served as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
Pi Kappa Phi annually bestows the Howard H. Baker Leadership Award to the undergraduate brother with the most outstanding leadership and involvement in campus and community organizations independent of his chapter.