Claude Roy 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. (1926-01-07)January 7, 1926 San Bernardino, California, USA
Died	September 28, 2011(2011-09-28) (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
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.