Former Democratic Senator and two-term Florida Gov. Bob Graham has died at 87.
Graham’s family announced the death Tuesday evening in a statement posted on X by his daughter Gwen Graham.
“As a legislator, Florida’s 38th Governor, and a United States Senator, Bob Graham devoted his life to the betterment of the world around him,” the family announced.
“The memorials to that devotion are everywhere – from the Everglades and other natural treasures he was determined to preserve, to the colleges and universities he championed with his commitment to higher education, to the global understanding he helped to foster through his work with the intelligence community, and so many more,” the family said.
His family remembered Graham for being a devoted grandfather and for his love for Florida.
“Bob Graham would tell people his favorite title was not Governor or Senator. It was the name his grandchildren gave him: Doodle. ‘When I’m really good, they call me Super Doodle,’ he liked to say,” the family said.
“For 87 years, Bob Graham was so much more than really good,” they said. “He was a rare collection of public accomplishments and personal traits that combined to make him unforgettable. As his family, we will never forget his love for us, the love he had for Florida, the United States, and the world, and the love so many people showed him. We thank God for the gift of his life.”
“It was my privilege to work closely with Senator Bob Graham when he was serving as Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,” she wrote. “He brought his love for his family and for his state of Florida to the Senate, where he served with immense dignity and courage.”
After leaving public life in 2005, Graham spent much of his time at a public policy center named after him at the University of Florida and pushing for legislation to require more civic classes in the Sunshine State’s public schools.
Graham was one of five members selected for an independent commission by in June 2010 to investigate a massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that threatened sea life and beaches along several southeastern Gulf states.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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