Personal
| Birth date | November 9, 1936 |
| Death date | April 16, 2024 |
| Birth place | Coral Gables, Florida |
| Birth name | Daniel Robert Graham |
| Mother | Hilda Elizabeth Simmons Graham of Defuniak Springs, Florida; schoolteacher |
| Father | Ernest R. ‘Cap’ Graham, Michigan mining engineer and WWI veteran who relocated to South Florida in the 1920s; later served two terms in state Senate |
| Siblings | Mary (1914), Phil (1915), and Bill (1925), all from father’s first marriage to Florence (deceased, 1934) |
| Marriage | Adele Khoury (February 2, 1959) |
| Children | Gwendolyn Patricia Graham, Glynn Adele ‘Cissy’ Graham McCullough, Arva Suzanne Graham Gibson, Kendall Elizabeth Graham Elias |
| Education | Attended Miami Senior High School (1952-55); earned Bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Florida (1959); Juris Doctor, Harvard Law School (1962); awarded an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Florida (2006) |
| Religion | Protestant Christian (Presbyterian) |
Notable Facts
- During 38 consecutive years in public office, served as state Representative, state Senator, Governor of Florida and U.S. Senator
- Championed environmental preservation, economic opportunity, public education, national security, civil rights and “hard work”
- Became one of the most popular public figures in Florida’s history through bipartisanship, “Bob Graham Workdays” and unique note-taking habits; left the governorship with an 83% approval rating
- Chaired the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee (2001-2003) and the joint congressional investigation into the September 11 attacks
- Short-listed as vice presidential candidate by Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry
- Founded the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida in 2006, the cornerstone of the university’s academic, intellectual and civic life
- While at the University of Florida, was president of the Epsilon Zeta chapter of Sigma Nu and inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Florida Blue Key and the University of Florida Hall of Fame
- Subject of Quiet Passion: A Biography of Bob Graham by S.V. Date (2004), and Writing for the Public Good: Essays from David R. Colburn and Senator Bob Graham edited by Steven Noll (2022)
As an author
Authored one autobiography, three nonfiction books, one novel and one children’s book:
Workdays: Finding Florida on the Job
(1978)
Intelligence Matters: The CIA, the FBI, Saudi Arabia and the Failure of America’s War on Terror
(2004)
World at Risk: The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism
(2008)
America, The Owner’s Manual: Making Government Work for You (2009);
2nd edition America, the Owner’s Manual: You Can Fight City Hall-and Win
(2016)
Keys to the Kingdom
(2011)
Rhoda the Alligator
(2020)
Timeline
Early Life (1936-1965)
1952 – named Dade County “Best All-Around Boy” by Miami Herald
1955 – graduated from Miami Senior High School after serving as student body president
1959 – graduated Phi Beta Kappa from University of Florida
1962 – graduated from Harvard Law School
1962 – prior to entering public office, practiced law and served as an executive with the Sengra Corporation (family-owned construction firm) and the Graham Companies
Early Political Career (1966-1977)
1966 – elected to the Florida House of Representatives representing Miami-Dade County; reelected in 1967 and 1968
1970 – elected to the Florida Senate representing Miami-Dade County
1972 – reelected to Senate representing a redistricted area including portions of northern Dade County and southern Broward County
1972 – chairs the Senate Health and Rehabilitative Services Committee
1974 – chairs the Senate Education Committee
1974 – conceives of “Workdays” after spending a semester teaching a civics class at Carol City High School in Miami Gardens
1976 – reelected to Florida Senate
Governor of Florida (1978-1986)
1978 – elected 38th Governor of Florida, defeating Jack Eckerd (R), 55.59% to 44.41%
1980 – delivers the nominating speech for the reelection of President Jimmy Carter at the Democratic National Convention in Madison Square Garden
1981 – Florida Legislature passes Save Our Rivers initiative, a $300 million program to buy up environmentally sensitive lands in key watersheds around the state
1982 – Florida Legislature passes Save Our Coasts initiative, a $200 million program to acquire Florida’s undeveloped coastal properties by the state park system
1982 – reelected Governor with 65% of vote, defeating U.S. Rep. Louis A. ‘Skip’ Bafalis (R)
1983 – Florida Legislature passes Save Our Everglades act, a restoration initiative championed by Graham; “What the Mississippi River was to Tom Sawyer, the Everglades were to my childhood”
1985 – impels the Florida Legislature to pass the state’s Growth Management law, requiring every county to implement a master comprehensive plan
1986 – left the governorship with an 83% approval rating
U.S. Senator (1987-2004)
1986 – elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating incumbent Sen. Paula Hawkins (R), 55% to 45%
1992 – reelected to the Senate over Bill Grant (R), 66%–34%
1994 – Florida Legislature passes the Everglades Forever Act, the outline for restoring the Everglades by improving water quality and hydrology of the Everglades from its headwaters near Kissimmee all the way south to Florida Bay; initiative became the largest intergovernmental landscape-level restoration project ever
1998 – reelected to the Senate over Charlie Crist (R), 63%–37%
June 2000 – introduces Restoring the Everglades, an American Legacy Act as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
October 2000 – U.S. Senate approves a new Water Resources Development Act that provides the first federal payment for a planned $7.8-billion Everglades restoration spanning more than three decades
June 2001 – appointed Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee
2001 – chairs the joint congressional investigation into the September 11, 2001 attacks
2001 – initiates a political action committee to propose Amendment 11 to the Florida Constitution, re-establishing a central board of oversight for the state university system; Amendment 11 passed with 61% support in 2002
October 2002 – voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq, one of his proudest moments in the Senate
2002 – announced candidacy for President of the United States in the 2004 election
January 31, 2003 – underwent open-heart surgery
October 7, 2003 – withdrew his presidential candidacy
November 3, 2003 – announced he would not seek another term in the U.S. Senate
2004 – at request of fellow senators, publishes Intelligence Matters: The CIA, the FBI, Saudi Arabia and the Failure of America’s War on Terror
January 3, 2005 – retires from the U.S. Senate following 38 consecutive years in public office
After Public Office (2005- present)
2005 – Florida Legislature names the rebuilt Sunshine Skyway Bridge the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge
2005 – serves as Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government
2006 – establishes the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida
May 2008 – appointed by Congress as chair of commission to prevent weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and terrorism
December 2008 – issues WMD report “World At Risk” urging comprehensive national security enhancements
2009 – appointed by Congress as commissioner of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the causes of the economic and financial crisis of 2007-2010
2009 – publishes America, The Owner’s Manual: Making Government Work for You
2010 – appointed by President Barack Obama to chair commission investigating Gulf of Mexico oil spill and offshore drilling
January 26, 2011 – delivers oil spill commission results to senators, stating, “I believe this is the chance that we may not have again in the foreseeable future to make a significant movement toward restoring this critical part of our Nation”
2011 – in response to direction of 2011 Florida legislature, teams up with Nate Reed, Eric Draper and other key individuals to launch the Florida Conservation Coalition and unite the state’s conservation community
February 2012 – Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission concludes “the crisis was avoidable” and systemic changes must be made
2012 – calls for the reopening of the September 11 investigation, pushing for release of classified documents
January 2014 – visits Cuba with group sponsored by Council on Foreign Relations to investigate plans for offshore drilling
November 2014 – campaigns for passage of Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative (Amendment 1); voters approve amendment by staggering 75% margin.
2016 – continues pursuit of complete transparency from U.S. government and international governments related to September 11 attacks
December 2020 – received 2021 Marjorie Harris Carr Award for Environmental Advocacy by Florida Defenders of the Environment
May 2021 – presented Michael V. Gannon Lifetime Achievement Award by the Florida Historical Society
2023 – received Outstanding Floridian Award presented with gratitude for exemplary service by The Florida Council of 100
April 16, 2024 – Daniel Robert “Bob” Graham dies of natural causes in Gainesville, Florida.
Honors
Florida Legislature
- Tallahassee Democrat’s Lawmaker-Newsmaker of the Year, 1972
- St. Petersburg Times’ Most Valuable Legislator, 1972
- Florida Wildlife Federation and Sierra Club outstanding work in the field of conservation, 1972
- Allen Morris Award for Most Valuable Member of Senate, 1973
- Florida Association of Community Colleges and Florida School Board Association Outstanding Legislator Award, 1974
- Tropical Audubon Society Conservation Award for work on 1972 Land and Water Management Act, 1974
- Capitol Press Corps’ Most Valuable Member, 1975-76
Governor
- National and Florida Wildlife Federation’s Special Conservation Award, 1982
- U.S. Chief State School Officers Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Education, 1983
After Public Office
- Honored as the namesake of annual Bob Graham Distinguished Service Awards from the Florida College System
- Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service by the Wilson Center
- LeRoy Collins Lifetime Leadership Award from Leadership Florida
- Everglades Coalition Hall of Fame
- 1000 Friends of Florida’s Bill Sadowski Award for unparalleled contributions to protecting Florida’s environment
- Bruce F. Vento Public Service Award by National Park Trust, 2005
- Florida Housing Hall of Fame by Florida Home Builders Association, 2005
- Florida Bar Lifetime Achievement Award, 2014
- Marjorie Harris Carr Award for Environmental Advocacy by Florida Defenders of the Environment, 2021
- Michael V. Gannon Lifetime Achievement Award from Florida Historical Society, 2021
- Outstanding Floridian Award for exemplary service by The Florida Council of 100, a not-for-profit group of leaders representing more than 140 major Florida companies, 2023
Bob Graham Political Papers
Housed at the University of Florida Smathers Library, Bob Graham’s political papers are comprised of correspondence, legislation, memoranda, committee files, press releases, notes, reports, news clippings, speeches, trip files, publications, photographs and audiovisual materials. The materials span 1953 to 2008, and include materials from his service in the Florida Legislature from 1966 to 1978 and as a United States Senator from 1987 to 2005.
They also contain materials relating to Graham’s political campaigns, his Workday experiences, and the personal papers of Bob Graham and his wife Adele (Khoury) Graham. Major topics include education, environmental conservation, Florida economics, the savings and loan crisis, Everglades restoration, Hurricane Andrew, foreign affairs, and health care. Other topics include the Equal Rights Amendment, the Cross Florida Barge Canal, aging, Dade County issues, state universities, Big Cypress, housing, desegregation, the Education Commission of the States, Lands for You, abortion, Interama, 4 Clean Water, the Select Council on Post-High School Education (SCOPE), underground power, and land use.
Links to Online Materials
Notable Speeches
- First Inaugural Speech (January 1979)
- Democratic National Convention (2004)
- Democratic National Convention Nominating Speech for President Jimmy Carter (1980)
- League of Women Voters Environmental Quality Conference Keynote Address (1973)
- Interview with Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (1991)
- UF Commencement Speech (1987)
- Leon High School Commencement (1987)
Op-Eds
- Let’s save Florida’s manatees (Tampa Bay Times, 2021) with Jimmy Buffett
- Bob Graham and Jeb Bush say your vote will count (Tampa Bay Times, 2020) with Jeb Bush
- Halt wetlands permitting changes until public can comment in person (Tampa Bay Times, 2020)
- Sarasota 9/11 connection remains cloaked in government secrecy, breeding suspicion of Saudi role in terror attacks (Sun Sentinel, 2019)
- The Power of Active Citizenship: A Renewed Focus on Teaching Civics Education (American Federation of Teachers, 2018) with Randi Weingarten
- Protect Florida’s legacy – its lands and waters (Orlando Sentinel, 2017)
- Florida voters know what makes our state great (TCPalm, 2017)
- Release more 9/11 Records (New York Times, 2016)
- Release the uncensored truth about 9/11 (Washington Post, 2016)
- What I Knew Before the Invasion (Washington Post, 2005)
Videos
- Bob Graham: A Lifetime of Service
- Gov. Graham interacting with students (2020)
- Sam Proctor Florida History Lecture (2009)
- Life and Career of Bob Graham (1990)
- An Oral History with Senator Bob Graham RE 9/11 attacks (2007)
- Presidential Campaign Profile (2003)
- Open Phones with Bob Graham (2016)
- Weapons of Mass Destruction Hearing (2008)
- WLRN Hall of Fame (2012)
- Florida Political History Live with Bill Nelson (2020)
- iCivics with Sandra Day O’Connor (2012)
- 1986 Florida Senatorial Debate
Music
Audio
Interviews conducted by Dr. Samuel Proctor for the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program
Recorded between Feb. 13,1989 and June 18, 2001. (30 hrs) Tapes A through Y
This is a series of interviews over the years by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida, comprising 16 sessions of interviews by program directors Dr. Samuel Proctor and Dr. Julian Pleasants.