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.
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
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
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
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
Meet the Fellows of the 2022 FL Health Policy Leadership Academy
Eighteen individuals representing communities from the Florida Panhandle have been selected to the 2022 cohort of the Florida Health Policy Leadership Academy, a joint professional development initiative of the Bob Graham Center and UF Health. The members of the Spring 2022 class are: TAYLOR BROWN Taylor Brown is the City Manager for Perry, Florida. He […]
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Center Announces Courses for Fall 2022
Faculty with the Bob Graham Center for Public Service will be offering these courses for Fall 2022. IDH2930: (Un)Common Reads: Democracy in Black and White – Florida’s History of Bi-Racial Democracy Download the course flyer This seminar-style course will involve reading and responding to Emancipation Betrayed: The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in […]
Bob Graham Center Announces 17 UF Students to Intern in Florida’s Capital
Seventeen University of Florida students have been selected for the Spring 2022 class of the Bob Graham Center’s Tallahassee Internship Program. The students will intern in a variety of positions across the state’s executive, legislative and judicial offices, and in a public affairs lobbying firm during the state’s upcoming legislative session. They represent more than 15 […]
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Finding hope in rural Florida: What I learned from conversations on climate change
Over the past few months, I have been talking with groups of people in small-town North Florida about the impacts of climate change and how they might get involved in resiliency efforts. Despite the perception that many rural residents are climate change deniers, my interactions revealed a surprisingly large awareness and interest in this critical […]
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