Richard Stone (politician)
| Richard Bernard Stone | |
|---|---|
 |
|
|
United States Senator from Florida |
|
|
In office January 1, 1975 – December 31, 1980 |
|
| Governor | Reubin Askew |
| Preceded by | Edward J. Gurney |
| Succeeded by | Paula Hawkins |
| 16th Secretary of State of Florida | |
|
In office January 5, 1971 – July 8, 1974 |
|
| Preceded by | Thomas Burton Adams, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Dorothy Glisson |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 48th District |
|
|
In office March 28, 1967 – November 3, 1970 |
|
| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | Bob Graham |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 22, 1928 New York City, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Marlene Lois Stone |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University Columbia Law School |
| Religion | Judaism |
Richard Bernard Stone (born September 22, 1928) was a Democratic United States Senator from Florida from 1975 to 1980 and later served as Ambassador at Large to Central America and Ambassador to Denmark.
Richard Stone, part of the third generation of a family of Floridian Jews, was born in New York City. He moved to Florida and attended public schools in Dade County. Stone graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard University in 1949 and received a LL.B. from Columbia Law School in 1954. He returned to Florida and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1955, practicing in Miami.
In 1966, Stone became Miami City Attorney and was elected to the Florida Senate in 1967, representing Dade County. In 1970, he was elected Secretary of State of Florida. He resigned in July 1974, before his term ended, to focus on his campaign for the U.S. Senate.
In 1974, Stone ran in an 11-candidate Democratic primary election. Congressman Bill Gunter finished first but Stone won a close subsequent runoff, 51% to 49%. On the Republican side, incumbent Senator Edward J. Gurney chose not to run for reelection after being indicted for taking bribes in return for his influence with the Federal Housing Administration.Millionaire Eckerd drug store chain owner, Jack Eckerd, defeated Paula Hawkins for the Republican nomination. In the general election, Stone narrowly defeated Eckerd in a race that saw The American Party candidate, John Grady, claim nearly 16% of the vote. Stone was the second Jewish U.S. Senator from Florida. Outgoing Senator Gurney resigned on December 31, 1974 and Stone was officially appointed senator by Governor Reubin O'Donovan Askew on January 1, 1975, two days before his term was scheduled to begin.
...
Wikipedia