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
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)
- 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.