Lawton M. Chiles
| Lawton Chiles | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 41st Governor of Florida | |
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In office January 8, 1991 – December 12, 1998 |
|
| Lieutenant | Buddy MacKay |
| Preceded by | Bob Martinez |
| Succeeded by | Buddy MacKay |
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United States Senator from Florida |
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In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Spessard Holland |
| Succeeded by | Connie Mack III |
| Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Budget | |
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In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Pete Domenici |
| Succeeded by | Jim Sasser |
| Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging | |
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In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1981 |
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| Preceded by | Frank Church |
| Succeeded by | H. John Heinz III |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 28th district 26th (1966-1967) |
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In office November 8, 1966 – November 3, 1970 |
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| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | Bob Brannen |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from Polk County, Group 1 |
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In office November 4, 1958 – November 8, 1966 |
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| 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 | Chiles Family Estate Lakeland, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Rhea May Grafton (m. 1951–1998; his death); 4 children |
| Alma mater | University of Florida |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1953–1954 |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
Lawton Mainor Chiles, Jr. (April 3, 1930 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. He served as a United States Senator from 1971 to 1989 and as Governor of Florida from 1991 to 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, as a member of Democratic Party.
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 retired from the United States Senate and from politics entirely in 1989.
However, 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 of Florida, Lawton Chiles brought reform to health care in the state and oversaw recovery efforts from Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Chiles faced a tough re-election bid in 1994 against Jeb Bush, who was a businessman and son of former President of the United States George H. W. Bush. Chiles prevailed over Bush by fewer than 64,000 votes. In his second term, Chiles was known for his reforms to education in Florida. On December 12, 1998, he suffered a heart attack and died at the Florida Governor's Mansion, leaving Lieutenant Governor Buddy MacKay to serve the remaining 23 days of Chiles' unexpired term.
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