Former Gov. Askew Praised As Visonary

March 14, 2014

Former Gov. Reubin Askew, who died early Thursday, left a broad imprint across the state, shaping policies that sought to improve schools, the environment and the courts, while also restoring faith in a Florida government tainted by scandal.

“He was a visionary. He saw issues whether they were in areas of racial fairness or educational opportunities or environmental protection in a generational perspective, not just what’s going to be the best position for the next election. He led by his personal example and by the wisdom of his ideas and the strength of his passions,” said former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, who also served as governor.

Askew, 85, died after being admitted to a Tallahassee hospital Saturday with aspiration pneumonia. His condition worsened when he suffered a stroke, family spokesman Ron Sachs said.

A Democrat who had represented the Pensacola and North Escambia area in the Legislature, Askew defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Claude Kirk in 1970 and was re-elected in 1974, becoming the first governor in Florida history to be elected to successive four-year terms.

Askew is considered by historians to be one of the most influential politicians in Florida’s modern history, second only to the late Gov. LeRoy Collins, who oversaw the state during the turbulent civil-rights era.

A teetotaler who was prim and could even be prudish, Askew, a lawyer, was relatively unknown when he ran for governor. Bucking the business community, Askew made a corporate income tax an integral part of his 1970 campaign.

Florida was in the midst of a population and development boom when Askew took over as chief executive. The state was still grappling with racial tensions prompted by the U.S. Supreme Court decision that put an end to school segregation. The devoutly religious Askew, born in Muskogee, Okla., was on the opposite side of many other Southern politicians, as well as many of his Pensacola constituents, in his call for racial reconciliation.

In response to an anti-school busing “straw poll” proposed by conservative Democrats and Republicans, Askew countered with a proposal asking voters if they wanted to keep schools integrated. Voters approved both non-binding measures.

Although the anti-busing measure passed overwhelmingly, Askew’s opposition to it endeared him to voters, said Sandy D’Alemberte, who was a close friend of Askew and served alongside him in the Legislature.

“He took the right position. He was on the right side of history. He was courageous. And the public, even though they disagreed with him on busing, recognized that he was a person of integrity, and his popularity increased,” D’Alemberte, a former president of the American Bar Association, said Thursday.

Askew appointed the state’s first black Cabinet member since Reconstruction, and pardoned, with the Cabinet, Freddie Pitts and Wilbert Lee, two black men who spent 12 years on Death Row after being wrongly convicted by an all-white jury. Askew also integrated the Florida Highway Patrol.

Askew served as governor during a scandal-ridden era when Watergate rocked Washington and, in Florida, two state Supreme Court justices were forced out of office and three Cabinet members were indicted. Askew thwarted the Legislature by spearheading the first petition initiative, known as the “Sunshine Amendment,” approved by voters in 1978. The constitutional amendment opened government records and required public officials to disclose information about their financial affairs. Florida’s “government in the sunshine” standards, considered by many to be Askew’s chief legacy, are still viewed as a model for the nation.

Askew also “left a permanent and meaningful imprint” on Florida regarding environmental issues, said Jay Landers, who served as a cabinet aide to Askew before the governor appointed him to head up the state’s first environmental agency. Askew pushed through legislation, still on the books, that created the state’s water management districts, required local comprehensive plans, regulated wetlands and set air-quality standards.

Askew’s “litany of legislative triumphs” are “still significant 40 years later,” Landers said. “To me, we don’t elect people like that anymore. And I don’t think we ever will. And it’s a real shame.”

The straight-laced Askew never drank, did not swear and was a devout Presbyterian — a sharp contrast to many of his colleagues in the Capitol. Askew did not allow alcohol at governor’s mansion dinners or social events. Because of that, mansion events were often followed by after-parties sponsored by lobbyists.

Landers regularly played tennis with Askew at a court across the street from the mansion on Sunday afternoons when downtown Tallahassee was deserted and there was not a car on the road within miles.

“He would not cross the street to go to the tennis court until the light changed,” Landers recalled.

In a 1998 interview with Florida State University’s “Research in Review,” Askew said he wanted to restore “some sense of responsibility and competence” in the governor’s office.

“It sounds awfully corny for me to say this but my goal wasn’t (simply) to get elected governor,” Askew said during the interview. “My goal was to get elected in such a way as I could govern. There’s a big difference. … So many people who run for office negotiate away all their options in the pursuit of the office and they literally tie their hands on dealing with the problems, by commitments.”

Askew, an attorney, said the Sunshine Amendment, fiercely opposed by many legislators at the time, stopped “a lot of circuitous business transactions in state and local government.”

“Having to report your income is sort of an invasion of privacy and yet, I felt, while it was extraordinary, I felt that it was needed to give some sense of reassurance to the people (about their elected officials),” he said during the 1998 interview. “Who are they working for? Are they working for themselves or for the people?”

Askew “always put principles before politics,” said former Gov. Jeb Bush, one of many Republican officials who lavished praise on the late governor in statements released Thursday.

“Florida has lost one of the great leaders who played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of our state during a time of substantial growth and change. He led on contentious issues, fought for equality and did what he believed was in the best interests of Florida families. Governor Askew always put principle before politics, and I was fortunate to know him, seek counsel from him and learn from his years of service,” Bush said in a statement.

After leaving office, Askew served as the U.S. trade representative from 1979 to 1981. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 1984. He later taught at the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy at Florida State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1951.

The former governor is survived by his wife of 57 years, Donna Lou; a son, Kevin Askew; a daughter, Angela White; and several grandchildren. Askew will lie in state at the Historic Capitol Museum on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Faith Presbyterian Church, 2200 North Meridian Road, Tallahassee.

Comments

One Response to “Former Gov. Askew Praised As Visonary”

  1. Susan on March 14th, 2014 3:50 pm

    I don’t meet many Republicans or Democrats who didn’t respect Reubin Askew. They don’t make them like that anymore. RIP

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