Lawton Chiles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 41st Governor of Florida | |
| In office January 8, 1991 – December 12, 1998 | |
| Lieutenant | Buddy MacKay |
| Preceded by | Bob Martinez |
| Succeeded by | Buddy MacKay |
| United States Senator from Florida | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Spessard Holland |
| Succeeded by | Connie Mack III |
| Chair of the Senate Budget Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Pete Domenici |
| Succeeded by | Jim Sasser |
| Chair of the Senate Aging Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Church |
| Succeeded by | John Heinz |
| Member of the Florida Senate | |
| In office November 8, 1966 – November 3, 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | Bob Brannen |
| Constituency | 26th district (1966–1967) 28th district (1967–1970) |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from Polk County, Group 1 | |
| In office November 4, 1958 – November 8, 1966 | |
| Preceded by | Roy Surles |
| Succeeded by | John R. Clark |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. April 3, 1930 Lakeland, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | December 12, 1998 (aged 68) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Resting place | "Jubilee," Chiles family estate Tallahassee, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Kay Hagan (niece) |
| Alma mater | University of Florida (BA, JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1952–1954 |
| Rank | First lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. (April 3, 1930 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician and military officer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Florida from 1971 to 1989 and as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 until his death in 1998.
A Korean War veteran, Chiles later returned to Florida for law school and eventually opened his own private practice in 1955. Three years later, Chiles entered politics with a successful bid for the Florida House of Representatives in 1958.
By 1966, Chiles left the Florida House to run for the Florida Senate. Despite 12 years in the Florida Legislature, Chiles was relatively unknown when he decided to bid for United States Senate in 1970. He embarked on a 1,003-mile walk from Pensacola to Key West for his campaign, earning him the nickname "Walkin' Lawton". It was successful and Chiles defeated his opponent William C. Cramer by a 53.9%–46.1% margin. Chiles was re-elected with relative ease in 1976 and 1982. He retired from the United States Senate in 1989.
Not long after his retirement, supporters convinced him to run for governor of Florida in 1990 against the unpopular incumbent Bob Martinez, and Chiles defeated Martinez by a 13-point margin (56.5% to 43.5%). During his first term as Governor, Chiles reformed health care and oversaw recovery efforts from Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Chiles faced a tough re-election bid in 1994 against Jeb Bush, a businessman and son of former President George H. W. Bush. Chiles prevailed over Bush by fewer than 64,000 votes. During his second term, Chiles reformed education in Florida. On December 12, 1998, he suffered a heart arrhythmia and died at the Florida Governor's Mansion, leaving Lieutenant Governor Buddy MacKay to serve the remaining 24 days of Chiles' unexpired term. Jeb Bush succeeded MacKay. Chiles's reelection in 1994 was the last time a Democrat was elected Governor of Florida, with MacKay being the most recent Democratic governor.