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Reubin Askew

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Reubin Askew
A 1971 portrait of Askew
7th United States Trade Representative
In office
October 1, 1979 – December 31, 1980
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byRobert S. Strauss
Succeeded byBill Brock
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office
January 23, 1977 – September 9, 1977
Preceded byCecil Andrus
Succeeded byWilliam Milliken
37th Governor of Florida
In office
January 5, 1971 – January 2, 1979
LieutenantThomas Burton Adams Jr.
Jim Williams
Preceded byClaude R. Kirk Jr.
Succeeded byBob Graham
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 2nd district
In office
November 6, 1962 – November 3, 1970
Preceded byPhilip D. Beall
Succeeded byW. D. Childers
Member of the
Florida House of Representatives
from Escambia County
In office
November 4, 1958 – November 6, 1962
Preceded byJ. B. Hopkins
Succeeded byGordon W. Wells
Personal details
Born
Reubin O'Donovan Askew

(1928-09-11)September 11, 1928
Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedMarch 13, 2014(2014-03-13) (aged 85)
Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Donna Lou Harper
​
(m. 1956)​
Children2
EducationFlorida State University (BA)
University of Florida (LLB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1946–1948
Rank Sergeant
UnitParatrooper

Reubin O'Donovan Askew (September 11, 1928 – March 13, 2014) was an American politician, who served as the 37th governor of Florida from 1971 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 7th U.S. Trade representative from 1979 to 1980 under President Jimmy Carter. He led on tax reform, civil rights, and financial transparency for public officials, maintaining an outstanding reputation for personal integrity.[1]

Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Askew served as a military intelligence officer in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. He established a legal practice in Pensacola, Florida, after graduating from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1955. Askew won election to the Florida House of Representatives in 1958 and to the Florida Senate in 1962. He defeated incumbent Republican governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. in the 1970 gubernatorial election and won re-election in 1974.

As governor, Askew presided over the imposition of the state's first corporate tax. He was one of the first of the "New South" governors and supported school desegregation. Askew is widely thought to have been one of the state's best governors; in 2014 the Tampa Bay Times ranked him the second best governor in Florida history and the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University rated him one of the country's top ten governors of the 20th century.[2][3] Askew was the keynote speaker at the 1972 Democratic National Convention and declined an offer to serve as George McGovern's running mate in the 1972 presidential election.

Askew served as the United States Trade Representative from 1979 to 1981. He sought the Democratic nomination in the 1984 presidential election but withdrew early in the race. After leaving public office, Askew taught at the public universities of Florida.

Early life and education

[edit]

Askew was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, the youngest of the six children of Leon G. Askew and Alberta (O'Donovan) Askew. His parents divorced when he was just two,[4] primarily because of what Askew said was his father's "serious drinking problem."[4] Two of his brothers later had similar problems.[4] Askew chose to be a lifelong teetotaller and non-smoker after an unpleasant experience with a pipe as a teenager.[5] After a final meeting under unpleasant circumstances when he was ten years old, Askew never saw his father again.[6][7]

In 1937, his mother moved with Reubin to Pensacola, Florida. Askew's middle name, O'Donovan, was his mother's maiden name. His signature used the double initial (O'D.) in her honor.[4] Reubin would sell magazines, shine shoes, bag groceries and sell his mother's pies that were homemade to help supplement her income. Reubin's mother was a waitress and a seamstress for the Works Progress Administration.[8]

In 1944, Askew was initiated as a member of Escambia Chapter Order of DeMolay, the Masonic organization for young men. He graduated from Pensacola High School in 1946. Later that year, Askew entered the Army as a paratrooper, serving for two years; in 1948 he was discharged in the rank of sergeant.

Askew attended Florida State University, where he was a brother of Delta Tau Delta and Alpha Phi Omega. At Florida State, Askew was elected as student body president, beginning his long career in politics. He graduated from Florida State University in 1951 with a B.S. degree in public administration.[9] He later completed law school at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Career

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During the Korean War, Askew served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1953, as a military intelligence officer. He oversaw the program for taking and analyzing airplane reconnaissance photographs of Western Europe. He felt uncomfortable with this task since he believed it violated existing treaties.[5]

In 1955, Askew returned to Pensacola, where he formed a law firm with David Levin. The firm was called Levin & Askew, and now is named Levin Papantonio Law Firm.[10]

Legislative career

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Askew as a Florida state senator in April 1968

In 1956, Askew was elected Assistant County Solicitor of Escambia County, Florida, as a Democrat. In 1958, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, representing Escambia County. After serving two terms in the House, in 1962 Askew was elected to the Florida Senate from the 2nd district, also representing Escambia. He was reelected to a redistricted seat encompassing both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in 1966, and again in 1967 and 1968.[11]

From 1969 to 1970, he served as president pro tempore of the Senate. In 1971 he received the Legion of Honor from the International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay.

Askew emerged as a progressive lawmaker: he supported reapportionment in the state legislature in order to recognize changes in population distribution and increase representation for urban counties, which had a higher population than rural ones. The state houses had been apportioned by geographic county, resulting in inequities that did not represent current state conditions. Urban areas were underrepresented in the legislature. As was typical of many states, rural legislators had resisted reapportionment in order to retain power.[1]

Askew opposed legal racial segregation and the continuing disenfranchisement of black voters. They had been disenfranchised since the turn of the century, when Florida had passed a new constitution with provisions for voter registration and elections that effectively blocked blacks from the polls. Passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 authorized the federal government to exercise oversight over jurisdictions in which classes of voters were historically underrepresented in voter rolls and voting patterns; African Americans were helped to re-enter the political system.

Governorship

[edit]
Further information: 1970 Florida gubernatorial election and 1974 Florida gubernatorial election
Askew delivers his first inaugural address as Florida governor in January 1971
Askew and his wife with Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter in Tallahassee in April 1971
Askew signs a bill into law

Askew won the Democratic nomination for governor in 1970. Secretary of State of Florida Thomas Burton Adams, Jr., was his running-mate for lieutenant governor. In its endorsement of the Askew-Adams ticket, the Miami Herald reported that Askew had "captured the imagination of a state that plainly deserves new leadership." During the campaign, the incumbent Republican governor, Claude R. Kirk Jr., ridiculed his opponent Askew as "a momma's boy who wouldn't have the courage to stand up under the fire of the legislators" and a "nice sweet-looking fellow chosen by liberals...to front for them."[12] Such rhetoric helped to reinvigorate the Democratic coalition. Mike Thompson, who managed the 1970 Republican gubernatorial primary campaign waged by state representative L. A. "Skip" Bafalis, sat out the general election between Kirk and Askew. Thompson later said that the often acerbic Kirk had demolished "the coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats who elected him in 1966. ... The trail from Tallahassee to Palm Beach is littered with the bodies of former friends, supporters, and citizens -- all of whom made the fatal mistake of believing the words of Claude Kirk."[13]

With 57% of the vote, Askew and Adams unseated Kirk and Lieutenant Governor Ray C. Osborne. From 1887 to 1969, the Florida Constitution did not provide for a lieutenant governor. The change allowed the top two positions to be filled by running mates from the same political party.

In 1974, Askew was re-elected, with J. H. Williams as his running mate. He is one of seven Florida governors to have been elected for two terms (the others were LeRoy Collins, Bob Graham, Lawton Chiles, Jeb Bush, Rick Scott, and Ron DeSantis). Askew was the first governor to serve two full four-year terms.

Through his two terms, Askew worked on tax reform. In 1971, he gained passage of the state's first corporate income tax.[1] He also gained an increase in the homestead exemption.

Askew argued for transparency in government. He tried three times to get the legislature to pass a bill requiring financial disclosure by public officials. When they did not, he used a provision of the 1968 constitution, collecting sufficient signatures to put the measure on the ballot in 1976.[5] The voters passed the "Sunshine Amendment" by 78%, the first time the constitution was amended due to citizen action. It calls for full financial disclosure by public officials and candidates, a ban on gifts to legislators, and prohibits former officials from lobbying for two years after leaving office.[5] At a time of government scandals, he established a reputation for personal integrity and was known as "Reubin the Good." According to a political foe, "He has established a kind of morality in office that causes people to have faith" in government.[1]

In addition to dealing with state issues, Askew pursued collaboration with other governors: he chaired the Education Commission of the States (1973–1974), the Southern Governors' Conference (1974–1975), and the Democratic Governors' Conference (1976–1977).[9] Governor Askew was chairman of the National Governors' Conference in 1977.[9]

Civil rights issues and the New South

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Askew with the family of Joseph Woodrow Hatchett, who Askew nominated to become the first Black justice on the Florida Supreme Court in September 1975

Askew was one of the first of the New South governors, elected in the same year as governors Jimmy Carter of Georgia, Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, who defeated Orval Faubus, and John C. West of South Carolina. They were later joined by Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Askew supported school desegregation and the controversial idea of busing to achieve racial balance (mandatory integration).

He expressed a progressive model in his appointments, naming the first black Justice of the State Supreme Court, Joseph Woodrow Hatchett.[4] He appointed M. Athalie Range as Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs; she was the first black person appointed to state government since Reconstruction and the first woman to head a state agency in Florida. In 1978, Askew appointed Jesse J. McCrary Jr. as secretary of state; he was the first black person to hold a cabinet-level office in Florida in the modern era.

Capital punishment

[edit]

After the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia effectively overturned existing state laws for capital punishment in the United States, Florida was the first state to enact a new death penalty statute,[14] which Governor Askew signed despite personally believing that the death penalty was appropriate only in rare cases.[15] Afterward the Supreme Court accepted new state death-penalty laws in Gregg v. Georgia. Immediately after the ruling, which effectively reinstated the use of the death penalty in the United States, Governor Askew began signing death warrants.[16] Executions were not resumed until the administration of his successor, Bob Graham.

Based on issues related to the cases of two life-sentenced inmates, Wilbert Lee and Freddie Pitts, Askew ordered a new investigation, which found they had been wrongfully convicted of murder in 1963. Askew participated in part of the inquiry and in 1975 pardoned both inmates, who had been removed from death row after the Supreme Court's decision halting capital punishment.[17]

Presidential politics

[edit]

Askew's national stature in the Democratic Party grew, and in 1972, he was the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach. For the 1972 presidential election, he was offered the vice presidential slot on the Democratic ticket with presidential nominee George McGovern, but he turned it down. He later accepted an appointment under President Jimmy Carter as chairman of the Advisory Committee on Ambassadorial Appointments.

Trade representative

[edit]
Askew in 1983

Limited to two terms as governor by the Florida Constitution, Askew looked for his next opportunity. In 1979, he accepted President Jimmy Carter's invitation to serve as United States Trade Representative, continuing until Carter's term ended in January 1981. Askew was the first trade representative who held the title United States Trade Representative, not Special Trade Representative, as his predecessors were called.[18]

Presidential candidacy in 1984

[edit]
Further information: 1984 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Askew joined a Miami law firm and at the same time began to organize a bid for the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination. He announced his candidacy on February 23, 1983, after making visits to all 50 states. The first serious presidential candidate from Florida[citation needed], Askew never gained traction within the national Democratic Party. Although progressive on civil rights, he generally was more conservative than other candidates. Askew was against abortion, believing life began at birth, and favored a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe v. Wade. On other issues, he supported the ERA but was against gay rights, supported a nuclear freeze but opposed arms control, supported both gun control and the death penalty, and called for pulling American Marines out of Beirut but supported President Ronald Reagan's invasion of Grenada.[19] Askew withdrew on March 1, 1984, after he finished last in the New Hampshire primary.[20]

U.S. Senate candidacy in 1988

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Askew addressing the opening of a joint session of the Florida Legislature in April 2009

In 1987, Askew declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.[21] But in May 1988, he withdrew from the contest, citing the need for perpetual fundraising.[22] At the time of his withdrawal, he had lead in the polls. He endorsed Congressman Buddy McKay afterwards.[23] Three days after dropping out, he resigned from his law firm, reportedly due to discontent from partners who had raised large amounts of money for Askew.[24]

Post-political career

[edit]

In 1994, Askew was named to the founding class of the Florida DeMolay Hall of Fame.

The Reubin O'D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy at Florida State University was named for him. It offers courses in government at several Florida universities. From 1999 until his death, Askew gave a graduate seminar at the school, on topics of state and local government as well as international trade.[5]

For the ten years prior to that, Askew lectured and taught at each of the other ten public universities in the state.[5] In 1994, the Reubin O'D Askew Institute on Politics and Society at the University of Florida was established to provide a center for bringing together people to work on state issues. Askew also lectured and participated in conferences there.

Personal life

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Askew married Donna Lou Harper in August 1956.[4] He proposed to her two weeks after the first date, and they married five months after. By all accounts, the two enjoyed a very happy marriage, and Askew remained faithful to her.[7] They had two adopted children; a daughter and a son. Throughout his life, Askew refrained from smoking, drinking, swearing, and gambling.[25][26]

Death

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Askew died at a hospital in Tallahassee, Florida, on March 13, 2014, aged 85, from complications of pneumonia and a stroke.[27]

Legacy and honors

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  • Askew was named one of the "Top 50 Floridians of the 20th Century" for his "Tax reform, racial justice and honesty in government."[1]
  • The Student Life Center at Florida State University was renamed as the Reubin O'D. Askew Student Life Center in his honor.
  • The Florida State University Alumni Association awards notable alumni with the Reubin O'D. Askew Young Alumni Award as part of the Thirty Under Thirty program.
  • The library at his high school alma mater, Pensacola High School, was also named after him.[28]
  • Interstate 110 in Pensacola is named the Reubin O'Donovan Askew Parkway.
  • The main terminal at Pensacola International Airport is named the Reubin O'Donovan Askew Terminal.
  • He was designated a Great Floridian by the Florida Department of State in 1998. The program recognizes the achievements of Floridians, living and deceased, who have made major contributions to the progress and welfare of the state.[29]

Electoral history

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Democratic primary for governor, 1970[30]

Democratic primary for Governor runoff

  • Reubin O'Donovan Askew – 447,025 (57.68%)
  • Earl Faircloth – 328,038 (42.32%)

1970 Florida gubernatorial election

Democratic primary for governor, 1974

1974 Florida gubernatorial election

1984 United States presidential election (Democratic primaries)

See also

[edit]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Reubin Askew - Top 50 Most Important Floridians of the 20th Century". archive.ph. September 15, 2003. Archived from the original on September 15, 2003. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  2. ^ Bosquet. Steve (July 29, 2013). "Times may have changed, but former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew hasn't". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  3. ^ "If Gov. Rick Scott only had a heart". Tampa Bay Times. February 28, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Icon: Reubin O'D. Askew". Florida Trend. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f GERALD ENSLEY, "Ex-Gov. Askew: Early champion of open government" Archived September 30, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Tallahassee Democrat, March 15, 2009, hosted at Florida Society of News Editors, accessed November 25, 2013
  6. ^ "Askew dies, Florida mourns". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Harvey, Gordon E. (November 2015). The Politics of Trust: Reubin Askew and Florida in the 1970s. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 9780817318826.
  8. ^ Harvey, Gordon (2006). A Question of Justice: New South Governors and Education, 1968-1976. University of Alabama Press. p. 6. ISBN 9780817353247 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ a b c "Florida Governor Reubin O'Donovan Askew", National Governors Association, accessed November 25, 2013
  10. ^ Moon, Troy (March 12, 2014). "Ex-Gov. Askew is 'gravely ill'". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  11. ^ "Historical Senate Journals & Rules". Florida Senate Archive. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  12. ^ Miami Herald and Tallahassee Democrat, October 30, 1970
  13. ^ Billy Hathorn, "Cramer v. Kirk: The Florida Republican Schism of 1970," Florida Historical Quarterly (April 1990), p. 416
  14. ^ "State by State". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  15. ^ Askew's view on capital punishment, Florida Capital News, July 3, 2008
  16. ^ Craig Brandon, The Electric Chair: An Unnatural American History, McFarland, 1999, ISBN 0-7864-0686-0, ISBN 978-0-7864-0686-9
  17. ^ "Law: Twelve Years to Justice", Time magazine, September 29, 1975
  18. ^ "USTR – United States Trade Representatives, 1962 – Present". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  19. ^ Harvey, Gordon E. (2015). The Politics of Trust: Reubin Askew and Florida in the 1970s. University of Alabama Press. p. 151. ISBN 9780817318826.
  20. ^ Shapiro, Margaret (March 2, 1984). "Askew, Hollings Retire to Sidelines". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  21. ^ Fiedler, Tom (December 22, 1987). "Askew's Senate bid now official". Lakeland Ledger. pp. 1B. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  22. ^ Dunkelberger, Lloyd (March 13, 2014). "Former Gov. Askew's legacy outlives him". The Herald-Tribune.
  23. ^ Flores, Ike (May 8, 1988). "ASKEW QUITS SENATE RACE DESPITE LEAD IN POLLS". Washington Post. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "Askew resigns From Law Firm". Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal. Associated Press. May 10, 1988. pp. 1A. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  25. ^ Harvey, Gordon E. (November 2015). The Politics of Trust: Reubin Askew and Florida in the 1970s. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 9780817318826.
  26. ^ Ensley, Gerald (March 15, 2009). "Ex-Gov. Askew: Early champion of open government". Florida Society of News Editors. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017.
  27. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (March 13, 2014). "Reubin Askew, a Progressive Governor of Florida in the '70s, Dies at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  28. ^ Reubin O'D. Askew Media Center at Pensacola High School
  29. ^ Great Floridian Program Archived June 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Florida Department of State
  30. ^ "Our Campaigns – Candidate – Reubin Askew". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.

Further reading

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  • David Colburn and Richard Scher, Florida's Gubernatorial Politics in the 20th Century, University Presses of Florida, 1980
  • Gordon E. Harvey, The Politics of Trust: Reubin Askew and Florida in the 1970s, University of Alabama Press, 2015
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Reubin Askew.
Florida House of Representatives
Preceded by
J. B. Hopkins
 Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from Escambia County
1958–1962 		Succeeded by
Gordon W. Wells
Florida Senate
Preceded by
Philip D. Beall
 Member of the Florida Senate
from the 2nd district
1962–1970 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida
1970, 1974 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Keynote Speaker of the Democratic National Convention
1972 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Democratic Governors Association
1976–1977 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Florida
1971–1979 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the National Governors Association
1977 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Trade Representative
1979–1980 		Succeeded by
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