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Mourners pay respects to Sen. Howard Baker Jr.

Former Kansas U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, left, the widow of late U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr., greets former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist Monday, June 30, 2014, in Knoxville, Tenn. The funeral for Baker, who died June 26 at age 88, will be held Tuesday in his hometown of Huntsville, Tenn. Sundquist's wife, Martha, is in the background. (AP Photo, Paul Efird/Knoxville News Sentinel) Former Kansas U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, left, the widow of late U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr., greets former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist Monday, June 30, 2014, in Knoxville, Tenn. The funeral for Baker, who died June 26 at age 88, will be held Tuesday in his hometown of Huntsville, Tenn. Sundquist's wife, Martha, is in the background. (AP Photo, Paul Efird/Knoxville News Sentinel)

By Associated Press June 30, 2014 1 min read

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Mourners are paying their respects to former Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. at the University of Tennessee center in Knoxville that bears his name.

The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1vocKgM ) reports that people began lining up outside the Baker Center well before the doors opened Monday for visitors to view the flag-draped casket of the onetime Senate majority leader.

Baker cut to the core of the 1973 Watergate hearings when he asked, “What did the president know and when did he know it?” He died Thursday at age 88.

Baker in the Senate won widespread respect from Republicans and Democrats alike, rising to the post of majority leader. He also served as President Ronald Reagan’s chief of staff.

His funeral is set for Tuesday in Baker’s hometown of Huntsville, Tennessee.

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Information from: Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com