Nick Baker

Henry Nicholas Baker (April 10, 1937 – March 13, 2026) was an American politician from Kentucky who was a member of the Kentucky Senate from 1970 to 1978. He was known for his efforts to promote women's basketball in Kentucky at the high school and collegiate levels.

Early life Henry Nicholas Baker was born in Hazard, Kentucky, on April 10, 1937. After graduating from Hazard High School in 1955, Baker attended Georgetown College, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order. Baker then returned to Georgetown, from which he graduated in 1959. He then joined the U.S. Army Reserve and served six months of active duty.

Kentucky Senate Baker was first elected to the senate in 1969, defeating incumbent Republican senator Vernon McGinty. He won reelection in 1973, but was defeated for renomination in 1977 by Danny Meyer.

Baker served with Georgia Davis Powers, the first African American elected to the senate. In 2010, he was interviewed by Anne Onyekwuluje and discussed his work with her, her influence, and the civil rights movement.

Senate Bill 73 In 1974, Baker introduced Senate Bill 73. The bill required that any school with a men's basketball team that received state funds would also have to establish a women's team as well; women's basketball had been discontinued in Kentucky since 1932. As the Kentucky Historical Society would later note, the bill "met opposition from schools that did not want the extra cost associated with a girls’ team or the issues sharing facilities would bring ... but Baker persisted and it passed."

Family and relatives Baker's mother played basketball in the late 1920s to early 1930s and was a member of Hazard High School's 1930 state championship team. On March 26, the senate adopted a resolution to adjourn in honor of Baker's life and memory. Senator Brandon Smith, who introduced the resolution, noted that "for all of us in here who have had children and daughters that have played basketball, it is a nice nod back to the past, that this gentleman revived the sport to give our daughters a chance and many others in the state to be able to participate in the sport again, and enjoy it the way they do." The House of Representatives also adjourned in Baker's honor on March 20.