Bob Graham, perhaps the most peculiar and popular politician of modern Florida history, died Tuesday. The Democratic two-term governor (1979-87) and three-term U.S. senator (1987-2005) was 87.
He passed away at 8:30 p.m. of old age with his wife, Adele, and family by his side in a retirement community in Gainesville.
“We’re very attached and love him so much, so proud of him,” Adele told the Tallahassee Democrat in a phone interview. “He was an absolute devoted person in public service, to get things done for everybody.”
As a wealthy Harvard-educated lawyer from Miami Lakes whose legislator father lost a bid for governor that kindled his son’s early political interest, Graham skillfully balanced his aristocratic pedigree with a quirky common touch.
In an era when being from Miami-Dade County was no advantage, he chose a rural lawmaker — the late Lt. Gov. Wayne Mixson of Marianna — as his running mate in 1978. Campaign lapel pins touted them as the “Graham-Cracker ticket.”
For nearly 40 years in public life, Graham staged monthly “work days,” working jobs alongside everyday Floridians ranging from short-order cooks and baggage handlers to drug-enforcement agents and Capitol Press Corps reporters. He said it helped him keep in touch with regular people.