Claude Kirk
| Claude R. Kirk Jr. | |
|---|---|
Official portrait of Governor Claude R. Kirk, January 1967
|
|
| 36th Governor of Florida | |
|
In office January 3, 1967 – January 5, 1971 |
|
| Lieutenant | None Ray C. Osborne |
| Preceded by | W. Haydon Burns |
| Succeeded by | Reubin Askew |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Claude Roy Kirk Jr. January 7, 1926 San Bernardino, California, USA |
| Died |
September 28, 2011 (aged 85) West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Resting place | South Florida National Cemetery Lake Worth, Florida |
| Political party | Republican (1960–1978, after 1990) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democrat (prior to 1960); (1978-1990) |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Sarah Stokes (1947–1950 & 1951–1966) 4 children (2) Erika Mattfeld (1967–2011, his death) 2 children |
| Children | Sarah, Katherine, William, Frank, Adriana, Claudia, Erik |
| Alma mater |
Duke University University of Alabama |
| Profession | Businessman |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War II and Korean War |
Claude Roy Kirk Jr. (January 7, 1926 – September 28, 2011), was the 36th Governor of the U.S. state of Florida (1967–1971). He was the first Republican Governor of Florida since Reconstruction.
Kirk was born in San Bernardino, California. He lived in Chicago, Illinois, and Montgomery, Alabama, where he attended Sidney Lanier High School. After graduating at age seventeen, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps reserve and rose to the rank of second lieutenant, having served stateside during World War II. He briefly attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia before he transferred to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. Kirk was accepted at the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa and graduated in 1949. He was recalled to the Marines for the Korean War and was initially assigned to the 1st Marine Division. He later served aboard the battleship USS New Jersey and was discharged as a first lieutenant in 1952.
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