Reubin Askew - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reubin Askew
37th Governor of Florida
In office January 5, 1971 – January 2, 1979
Lieutenant	Thomas Burton Adams, Jr. (1971-1975) J.H. Williams (1975-1979)
Preceded by	Claude Roy Kirk
Succeeded by	Bob Graham
7th United States Trade Representative
In office 1979–1981
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Robert S. Strauss
Succeeded by	Bill Brock
Personal details
Born	(1928-09-11)September 11, 1928 Muskogee, Oklahoma
Died	March 13, 2014 (aged 85) Tallahassee, Florida
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Donna Lou Harper
Profession	Politician, lawyer

Reubin O'Donovan Askew (September 11, 1928 - March 13, 2014) was an American politician. He was a democrat from Florida. He was born in Muskogee (Oklahoma), but since 1937 he lived in Florida. He was a lawyer. He served both in US Army and US Air Force.

Early life[change | change source]

Askew was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He studied at Florida State University and at University of Florida Levin College of Law. Askew married Donna Lou Harper in August 1956.

Career[change | change source]

Prior to becoming governor, Askew served as state representative (1959-1963) and state senator (1963-1970). For a year (1969-1970) he was president pro tempore of this body.

He was elected governor in the same year and assumed duties in January 1971. He was one of the first southern governors (alongside Jimmy Carter of Georgia) yo openly support desegregation. In 1972 then-democratic Presidential nominee, senator George McGovern of South Dakota offered him vice presidency, but Askew declined it. McGovern lost to Richard Nixon.

Askew was reelected in 1974 and served until early 1979. After leaving office he was, for two years, United States Trade Representative under President Carter.

In 1984 he ran for president, but was defeated in the primary.

Personal life[change | change source]

Askew had two children; one son and one daughter. Askew lived in Tallahassee, Florida.

Death[change | change source]

Askew died at the age of 85 on March 13, 2014 at his Tallahassee home, after a recent stroke.^[1]

Legacy[change | change source]

He was regarded by many (including Harvard Scholars) as one of the best U.S. governors in the 20th Century.

References[change | change source]

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Reubin Askew at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida Archived 2011-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
• Florida DeMolay hall of Fame website
• DeMolay hall of Fame website Archived 2006-08-12 at the Wayback Machine
• NYTimes obituary