Reubin O'Donovan Askew
Encyclopedia
Reubin O'Donovan Askew is an American politician
, who served as the 37th Governor of the U.S. state
of Florida
from 1971 to 1979.
, one of the six children of Leon G. Askew and Alberta Askew. His parents divorced, and in 1937, he and his mother moved to Pensacola, Florida
. Askew was a member of Escambia Chapter Order of DeMolay in Pensacola. He was initiated in 1944. Askew graduated from Pensacola High School
in 1946.
Later that year, he entered the Army as a paratrooper
and in 1948 was discharged in the rank of Sergeant. Askew attended Florida State University
, at which he was a brother of Delta Tau Delta
and Alpha Phi Omega
. At FSU, Askew served as Student Body President. He later attended law school at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1953, as an military intelligence
officer, overseeing airplane reconnaissance photographs of Western Europe, though he felt uncomfortable with this task as it violated existing treaties.
In 1956, Askew was elected as Assistant County Solicitor of Escambia County, Florida
. In 1958, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives
and, in 1962, to the Florida Senate
, from 1969 to 1970 he served as President Pro Tempore of the Florida State Senate. He received the Legion of Honor from the International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay in 1971.
He emerged as a progressive lawmaker, opposing racial segregation and supporting fairer legislative representation for urban counties.
was his running-mate. Ticket Askew/Adams defeated incumbent Republican
Governor Claude Roy Kirk, Jr. and Lieutenant Governor Ray C. Osborn. From 1887 to 1969, the Florida Constitution did not provide for a Lieutenant Governor. Askew was re-elected (this time his running mate was J.H. Williams) in 1974. He is one of just five Florida Governors to be elected for two terms (the others were LeRoy Collins
, Bob Graham
, Lawton Chiles
and Jeb Bush
). Askew was also the first Governor to serve two full four-year terms (Bush is the second; Collins was elected to a two-year term followed by a four-year term, Graham resigned shortly before the end of his second term to become U.S. Senator, and Chiles died in office near the end of his second term).
In 1974 Governor Askew was named by the TIME
magazine as one of the 200 Faces for the Future.
of Georgia, Dale Bumpers
of Arkansas (who defeated Orval Faubus
), John C. West
of South Carolina and later Bill Clinton
of Arkansas. He supported school desegregation
and the controversial idea of busing to achieve racial balance (mandatory integration
); in addition he named the first black Justice of the State Supreme Court, Joseph Woodrow Hatchett
and appointed M. Athalie Range
Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs, the first black since Reconstruction and the first woman to head a state agency in Florida. Additionally, Askew appointed Jesse J. McCrary Jr.
as Secretary of State in 1978, the first black to hold a cabinet level office in Florida in the modern era.
decision effectively overturned existing state laws for capital punishment in the United States
in 1972, Florida was the first state to enact a new death penalty statute, which Governor Askew signed. Afterwards the Supreme Court accepted new state death-penalty laws in Gregg v. Georgia
. Immediately after the ruling, which effectively reinstated the use of the death penalty in the United States, Governor Askew began signing death warrants, but executions were not resumed until the administration of his successor, Bob Graham
.
Askew personally believed that death penalty was only necessary in rare cases. Governor Askew ordered a new investigation into the case of two death row inmates, Wilbert Lee and Freddie Pitts, who had been wrongfully convicted in 1963. Askew participated in part of the inquiry and in 1975 pardoned both inmates.
in Miami. For the 1972 presidential election
, he was offered the Vice Presidential slot on the Democratic ticket with Presidential nominee George McGovern
, but he turned it down. He later accepted an appointment as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Ambassadorial Appointments under President Jimmy Carter
.
He was also mentioned as a front-runner for the 1976 Vice Presidential nomination.
Askew was the first Trade Representative who held title United States Trade Representative, not Special Trade Representative, as his predecessors were called.
. He announced his candidacy on February 23, 1983 after making visits to all 50 states. Askew never gained traction within the national Democratic party. Although progressive on civil rights, Askew was notably more conservative than most of the other candidates. He was pro-life on abortion, a position that nevertheless failed to win over voters in Catholic Iowa, against the nuclear freeze, against the Equal Rights Amendment, against the right of homosexuals to work as teachers, and for President Ronald Reagan's invasion of Grenada in October 1983. Askew withdrew on March 1, 1984, after he finished last in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary
. In 1987, he declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate
; however, in May 1988, he withdrew from the contest, citing lack of fundraising.
The Reuben O'D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy
at Florida State University
was named for him and offers courses in government at several Florida universities. The Askew School awards undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees, and offers non-degree certificate programs, in public administration and related disciplines. It has been consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report
as one of the premier public affairs schools in the United States. Askew lectures on state and local government as well as international trade.
In 1994, the Reubin O'D Askew Institute on Politics and Society
at the University of Florida
was created in recognition of the fact that the state needed a vehicle to bring people interested in the future of Florida together to discuss issues facing the state. Rapid population growth in recent years has meant that many Floridians are unaware of the state's history or the major issues which must be resolved to ensure a bright future for all citizens.
He married the former Donna Lou Harper in August 1956, and they have been married for more than 50 years. They have two children: daughter and son.
Askew’s father and two brothers had a “serious drinking problem”, which helps explain why he is a lifelong teetotaller
and non-smoker.
He was also found by Harvard Scholars as one of the best U.S. Governors in 20th century.
The Student Life Center at Florida State University
was renamed to the Reubin O'D. Askew Student Life Center in his honor. The library at his high school alma mater, Pensacola High School, was also named after him. Interstate 110
in Pensacola is named the Reubin O'Donovan Askew Parkway.
He was designated a Great Floridian
by the Florida Department of State in 1998. The program is intended to recognize and record the achievements of Floridians, living and deceased, who have made major contributions to the progress and welfare of this state.
Democratic primary for Governor runoff
Florida gubernatorial election, 1970
Democratic primary for Governor, 1974
Florida gubernatorial election, 1974
United States presidential election, 1984
(Democratic primaries)
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
, who served as the 37th Governor of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
from 1971 to 1979.
Early life and career
Askew was born in Muskogee, OklahomaMuskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
, one of the six children of Leon G. Askew and Alberta Askew. His parents divorced, and in 1937, he and his mother moved to Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. Askew was a member of Escambia Chapter Order of DeMolay in Pensacola. He was initiated in 1944. Askew graduated from Pensacola High School
Pensacola High School
Pensacola High School is a secondary school located near downtown Pensacola, Florida, USA.The school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2001 and graduated its 100th class of seniors in 2005; however, the school has not always been at its current location. It was moved to Maxwell Street in 1952...
in 1946.
Later that year, he entered the Army as a paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
and in 1948 was discharged in the rank of Sergeant. Askew attended Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, at which he was a brother of Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
and Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members...
. At FSU, Askew served as Student Body President. He later attended law school at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1953, as an military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
officer, overseeing airplane reconnaissance photographs of Western Europe, though he felt uncomfortable with this task as it violated existing treaties.
In 1956, Askew was elected as Assistant County Solicitor of Escambia County, Florida
Escambia County, Florida
Escambia County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Florida. The 2010 population was 297,619. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 296,772. Its county seat is Pensacola.- History :...
. In 1958, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
and, in 1962, to the Florida Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
, from 1969 to 1970 he served as President Pro Tempore of the Florida State Senate. He received the Legion of Honor from the International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay in 1971.
He emerged as a progressive lawmaker, opposing racial segregation and supporting fairer legislative representation for urban counties.
Governorship
Askew won the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1970. State Secretary of Florida Thomas Burton Adams, Jr.Thomas Burton Adams, Jr.
Thomas Burton "Tom" Adams, Jr. was an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. A Democrat, he served in the Florida Senate , as Secretary of State of Florida , and as the tenth Lieutenant Governor of Florida .-Early life:Adams was born in Jacksonville, Florida to Thomas Burton Adams,...
was his running-mate. Ticket Askew/Adams defeated incumbent Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Governor Claude Roy Kirk, Jr. and Lieutenant Governor Ray C. Osborn. From 1887 to 1969, the Florida Constitution did not provide for a Lieutenant Governor. Askew was re-elected (this time his running mate was J.H. Williams) in 1974. He is one of just five Florida Governors to be elected for two terms (the others were LeRoy Collins
LeRoy Collins
Thomas LeRoy Collins was the 33rd Governor of Florida.-Early life:Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman Business College in New York and then went on to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to...
, Bob Graham
Bob Graham
Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham is an American politician. He was the 38th Governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senator from that state from 1987 to 2005...
, Lawton Chiles
Lawton Chiles
Lawton Mainor Chiles, Jr. was an American politician from the US state of Florida. In a career spanning four decades, Chiles, a Democrat who never lost an election, served in the Florida House of Representatives , the Florida State Senate , the United States Senate , and as the 41st Governor of...
and Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
). Askew was also the first Governor to serve two full four-year terms (Bush is the second; Collins was elected to a two-year term followed by a four-year term, Graham resigned shortly before the end of his second term to become U.S. Senator, and Chiles died in office near the end of his second term).
In 1974 Governor Askew was named by the TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
magazine as one of the 200 Faces for the Future.
Civil rights issues and the New South
As governor, Askew was one of the first of the 'New South' governors, at the same time as Governors Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
of Georgia, Dale Bumpers
Dale Bumpers
Dale Leon Bumpers is an American politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas from 1971 to 1975; and then in the United States Senate from 1975 until his retirement in January 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Senator Bumpers is currently counsel at the Washington, D.C...
of Arkansas (who defeated Orval Faubus
Orval Faubus
Orval Eugene Faubus was the 36th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1955 to 1967. He is best known for his 1957 stand against the desegregation of Little Rock public schools during the Little Rock Crisis, in which he defied a unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court by ordering the...
), John C. West
John C. West
John Carl West was a U.S. Democratic Party politician who served as the 109th Governor of South Carolina from 1971 to 1975. He served as ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1977 to 1981.-Early life:...
of South Carolina and later Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
of Arkansas. He supported school desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
and the controversial idea of busing to achieve racial balance (mandatory integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
); in addition he named the first black Justice of the State Supreme Court, Joseph Woodrow Hatchett
Joseph Woodrow Hatchett
Joseph Woodrow Hatchett is a United States federal judge.Born in Clearwater, Florida, Hatchett received a B.A. from Florida A&M University in 1954 and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law in 1959. He was in the United States Army Lieutenant from 1954 to 1956. He was a U.S. Marine Corps...
and appointed M. Athalie Range
M. Athalie Range
M. Athalie Range was a civil rights activist and politician who was the first African-American to serve on the Miami, Florida City Commission, and the first African-American since Reconstruction and the first woman to head a Florida state agency, the Department of Community...
Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs, the first black since Reconstruction and the first woman to head a state agency in Florida. Additionally, Askew appointed Jesse J. McCrary Jr.
Jesse J. McCrary Jr.
Jesse J. McCrary, Jr. was an American lawyer from the U.S. state of Florida. A civil rights activist, he entered state politics and served as Secretary of State of Florida, becoming the first black member of the Florida Cabinet since the end of Reconstruction.-Early life and education:McCrary was...
as Secretary of State in 1978, the first black to hold a cabinet level office in Florida in the modern era.
Capital punishment
After the U.S. Supreme Court Furman v. GeorgiaFurman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia, was a United States Supreme Court decision that ruled on the requirement for a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty. The case led to a de facto moratorium on capital punishment throughout the United States, which came to an end when Gregg v. Georgia was...
decision effectively overturned existing state laws for capital punishment in the United States
Capital punishment in the United States
Capital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
in 1972, Florida was the first state to enact a new death penalty statute, which Governor Askew signed. Afterwards the Supreme Court accepted new state death-penalty laws in Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia, Proffitt v. Florida, Jurek v. Texas, Woodson v. North Carolina, and Roberts v. Louisiana, 428 U.S. 153 , reaffirmed the United States Supreme Court's acceptance of the use of the death penalty in the United States, upholding, in particular, the death sentence imposed on Troy Leon...
. Immediately after the ruling, which effectively reinstated the use of the death penalty in the United States, Governor Askew began signing death warrants, but executions were not resumed until the administration of his successor, Bob Graham
Bob Graham
Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham is an American politician. He was the 38th Governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senator from that state from 1987 to 2005...
.
Askew personally believed that death penalty was only necessary in rare cases. Governor Askew ordered a new investigation into the case of two death row inmates, Wilbert Lee and Freddie Pitts, who had been wrongfully convicted in 1963. Askew participated in part of the inquiry and in 1975 pardoned both inmates.
Presidential politics
Askew's national stature in the Democratic party grew, and in 1972, he was the keynote speaker at the Democratic National ConventionDemocratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in Miami. For the 1972 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1972
The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
, he was offered the Vice Presidential slot on the Democratic ticket with Presidential nominee George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
, but he turned it down. He later accepted an appointment as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Ambassadorial Appointments under President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
.
He was also mentioned as a front-runner for the 1976 Vice Presidential nomination.
Trade Representative
Barred from seeking a third term as governor, Askew finished his second term as governor and then accepted President Carter's invitation to be the United States Trade Representative and served until Carter's term ended in January 1981.Askew was the first Trade Representative who held title United States Trade Representative, not Special Trade Representative, as his predecessors were called.
Presidential bid in 1984 and Senatorial bid in 1988
Askew joined a Miami law firm and at the same time began to organize a Presidential bid for the 1984 presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 1984
The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...
. He announced his candidacy on February 23, 1983 after making visits to all 50 states. Askew never gained traction within the national Democratic party. Although progressive on civil rights, Askew was notably more conservative than most of the other candidates. He was pro-life on abortion, a position that nevertheless failed to win over voters in Catholic Iowa, against the nuclear freeze, against the Equal Rights Amendment, against the right of homosexuals to work as teachers, and for President Ronald Reagan's invasion of Grenada in October 1983. Askew withdrew on March 1, 1984, after he finished last in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary
New Hampshire primary
The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years , as part of the process of choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November.Although only a...
. In 1987, he declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
; however, in May 1988, he withdrew from the contest, citing lack of fundraising.
In retirement
In 1994, former Governor Askew was named to the founding class of the Florida DeMolay Hall of Fame, a Masonic honorarium.The Reuben O'D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy
Askew School of Public Administration and Policy
The Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, located in Tallahassee, Florida, is a school within the Florida State University College of Social Sciences...
at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
was named for him and offers courses in government at several Florida universities. The Askew School awards undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees, and offers non-degree certificate programs, in public administration and related disciplines. It has been consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
as one of the premier public affairs schools in the United States. Askew lectures on state and local government as well as international trade.
In 1994, the Reubin O'D Askew Institute on Politics and Society
Askew Institute on Politics and Society
The Askew Institute on Politics and Society at the University of Florida was established in 1994 with the primary goal to examine the critical issues facing the region, and to find a consensus to address these issues.-History:...
at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
was created in recognition of the fact that the state needed a vehicle to bring people interested in the future of Florida together to discuss issues facing the state. Rapid population growth in recent years has meant that many Floridians are unaware of the state's history or the major issues which must be resolved to ensure a bright future for all citizens.
Personal life
Askew’s middle name, ‘’O’Donovan’’, was his mother’s maiden name, and he kept the double initial (O’D.) in her honor.He married the former Donna Lou Harper in August 1956, and they have been married for more than 50 years. They have two children: daughter and son.
Askew’s father and two brothers had a “serious drinking problem”, which helps explain why he is a lifelong teetotaller
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
and non-smoker.
Askew legacy
Widely regarded as an effective Governor, Askew was named one of the 50 most important Floridians for "Tax reform, racial justice and honesty in government were the hallmarks of his governorship".He was also found by Harvard Scholars as one of the best U.S. Governors in 20th century.
The Student Life Center at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
was renamed to the Reubin O'D. Askew Student Life Center in his honor. The library at his high school alma mater, Pensacola High School, was also named after him. Interstate 110
Interstate 110 (Florida)
Interstate 110 is a auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in Pensacola, Florida, running north from U.S. Highway 98 to Interstate 10. I-110 carries the hidden Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 8A...
in Pensacola is named the Reubin O'Donovan Askew Parkway.
He was designated a Great Floridian
Great Floridians
Great Floridian is a title bestowed upon citizens in the state of Florida by the Florida Department of State. There were actually two formal programs...
by the Florida Department of State in 1998. The program is intended to recognize and record the achievements of Floridians, living and deceased, who have made major contributions to the progress and welfare of this state.
Fictionalized portraits
The character of Freddy Picker, a former Florida Governor and a primary Democratic candidate for President in the novel and movie Primary Colors was partially based on Askew.Electoral history
Democratic primary for Governor, 1970- Earl FairclothEarl FairclothEarl Faircloth was a former Florida Attorney General and State Representative.He was a politician from the U.S. state of Florida. Earl Faircloth served as the Florida Attorney General from 1965 to 1971....
- 227,413 (29.96%) - Reubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan Askew is an American politician, who served as the 37th Governor of the U.S. state of Florida from 1971 to 1979.-Early life and career:...
- 206,333 (27.18%) - John E. Mathews - 186,053 (24.51%)
- Chuck Hall - 139,384 (18.36%)
Democratic primary for Governor runoff
- Reubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan Askew is an American politician, who served as the 37th Governor of the U.S. state of Florida from 1971 to 1979.-Early life and career:...
- 447,025 (57.68%) - Earl FairclothEarl FairclothEarl Faircloth was a former Florida Attorney General and State Representative.He was a politician from the U.S. state of Florida. Earl Faircloth served as the Florida Attorney General from 1965 to 1971....
- 328,038 (42.32%)
Florida gubernatorial election, 1970
Florida gubernatorial election, 1970
-Overview:Incumbent Governor of Florida Claude Roy Kirk, Jr. was the first Republican who held Florida's governorship since Reconstruction. He was elected in 1966, when Republicans has made some gains in traditionally Democratic Deep South.-Republican nomination:...
- Reubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan Askew is an American politician, who served as the 37th Governor of the U.S. state of Florida from 1971 to 1979.-Early life and career:...
/Thomas Burton Adams, Jr.Thomas Burton Adams, Jr.Thomas Burton "Tom" Adams, Jr. was an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. A Democrat, he served in the Florida Senate , as Secretary of State of Florida , and as the tenth Lieutenant Governor of Florida .-Early life:Adams was born in Jacksonville, Florida to Thomas Burton Adams,...
(D) - 984,305 (56.88%) - Claude Roy Kirk, Jr./Ray C. Osborn (R, Inc.) - 746,243 (43.12%)
Democratic primary for Governor, 1974
- Reubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan Askew is an American politician, who served as the 37th Governor of the U.S. state of Florida from 1971 to 1979.-Early life and career:...
(Inc.) - 579,137 (68.83%) - Ben Hill Griffin, Jr.Ben Hill Griffin, Jr.Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. was a prominent American businessman, citrus grower, politician and philanthropist who was a native and resident of Florida. Griffin was an alumnus of the University of Florida, a former state legislator, a one-time candidate for governor and a patron of college sports and...
- 137,008 (16.28%) - Thomas Burton Adams, Jr.Thomas Burton Adams, Jr.Thomas Burton "Tom" Adams, Jr. was an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. A Democrat, he served in the Florida Senate , as Secretary of State of Florida , and as the tenth Lieutenant Governor of Florida .-Early life:Adams was born in Jacksonville, Florida to Thomas Burton Adams,...
- 85,557 (10.17%) - Norman Bie - 39,758 (4.73%)
Florida gubernatorial election, 1974
Florida gubernatorial election, 1974
In the Florida gubernatorial election of 1974, the sitting Governor of Florida was re-elected. This was just the second time after 1956, and the first that the Governor of Florida was re-elected for the second four-year term. In the Florida gubernatorial election of 1974, the sitting Governor of...
- Reubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan Askew is an American politician, who served as the 37th Governor of the U.S. state of Florida from 1971 to 1979.-Early life and career:...
(Inc.)/J.H. Williams (D) - 1,118,954 (61.20%) - Jerry Thomas/Mike Thompson - 709,438 (38.80%)
United States presidential election, 1984
United States presidential election, 1984
The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...
(Democratic primaries)
- Walter MondaleWalter MondaleWalter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
- 6,952,912 (38.34%) - Gary HartGary HartGary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
- 6,504,842 (35.87%) - Jesse JacksonJesse JacksonJesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
- 3,282,431 (18.10%) - John GlennJohn GlennJohn Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
- 617,909 (3.41%) - George McGovernGeorge McGovernGeorge Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
- 334,801 (1.85%) - Unpledged - 146,212 (0.81%)
- Lyndon LaRoucheLyndon LaRoucheLyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
- 123,649 (0.68%) - Reubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan AskewReubin O'Donovan Askew is an American politician, who served as the 37th Governor of the U.S. state of Florida from 1971 to 1979.-Early life and career:...
- 52,759 (0.29%) - Alan CranstonAlan CranstonAlan MacGregor Cranston was an American journalist and Democratic Senator from California.-Education:Cranston earned his high school diploma from the old Mountain View High School, where among other things, he was a track star...
- 51,437 (0.28%) - Ernest HollingsErnest HollingsErnest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings served as a Democratic United States Senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005, as well as the 106th Governor of South Carolina and Lt. Governor . He served 38 years and 55 days in the Senate, which makes him the 8th-longest-serving Senator in history...
- 33,684 (0.19%) - Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
(write-in) - 10,096 (0.06%)
External links
- Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
- Florida DeMolay hall of Fame website
- DeMolay hall of Fame website
- Oral History Interview with Reubin Askew from Oral Histories of the American South
- Florida Legislature website: The 2007 Florida Statutes-Title XVIII
- Reubin O'D. Askew Institute on Politics and Society
- Askew School of Public Administration and Policy at Florida State University