Reubin Askew Papers

Reubin O'Donovan Askew, 37th Governor of Florida, was born on September 11, 1928, in Muskogee, Oklahoma. In 1937, he and his mother moved to Pensacola, where Reubin graduated from Pensacola High School in 1946.  Later in 1946, he entered the United States Army as a paratrooper and later was discharged as a Sergeant. Askew then attended college at Florida State University before joining the United States Air Force from 1951.

Askew's public official career began when he served as Assistant County Solicitor for Escambia County from 1956-1958. In 1958, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives and to the State Senate in 1962. During his time in the State Senate, he served as President Pro Tempore from 1969-1970.  Mr. Askew was elected Governor in 1970 and again in 1974, making him the first Governor to be elected for a second, consecutive 4-yr term.

After retiring as Governor in early 1979, Askew joined the Miami law firm of Greenberg, Traurig, Askew, Hoffman, Lipoff, Rosen and Quentell. In October of 1979, he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary as a United States Trade Representative. In 1984, Askew became the first Floridian to run for President of the United States, and in 1987 he announced his candidacy for United States Senate.

Askew has received numerous honors and awards, including: Outstanding Military Student of the Year, AFROTC, Florida State University (1950); Freshman Class President, University of Florida College of Law (1953); Executive Editor, University of Florida Law Review (1955); Young Man of the Year Award and one of the Five Outstanding Young Men in Florida, Pensacola Jaycees (1960); Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Florida (1972); Humanitarian of the Year Award, Florida Commission on Human Relations (1977); Medal of Honor, Florida Bar Foundation (1979), and in 1994 Florida State University renamed its School of Public Administration, "The Reubin O'D. Askew School of Public Administration of Policy."

Askew received a B.S. in Public Administration from Florida State University in 1951, where he also served as student body president and president of the University Government Association, FSU's student government agency. From 1951-1952 he received his Masters in ? in Public Administration from the University of Denver and Florida State University. In 1956, he received his LLB  from the University of Florida. Moreover, Askew holds 15 Honorary Degrees from multiple institutions.

As of 2009, he and his wife, Donna Lou Askew, live in Tallahassee, Florida, where Mr. Askew serves as the Professor and Eminent Scholar Chair in Florida Government and Politics.