Claude R. Kirk Jr.
Claude Roy Kirk Jr. was an American businessman, politician, and Marine Corps veteran who served as the 36th governor of Florida from 1967 to 1971. A member of the Republican Party for most his career, he was the first Republican governor of Florida since Reconstruction.
In 1943, Kirk enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving in the American theater during World War II. After graduating with a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama, Kirk was recalled to the Marine Corps to serve in the Korean War. In 1956, Kirk established a life insurance company in Jacksonville. In 1964, he was the Republican nominee for U.S. senator, losing to incumbent Democratic senator Spessard Holland.
In 1966, Kirk was elected governor, defeating Democratic nominee and Miami mayor Robert King High. His tenure occurred during a tumultuous time in American history, serving during the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, desegregation, massive population growth in Florida, and the Apollo 11 launch from Merritt Island. His governorship coincided with the 1967 Tampa riots, the ratification of 1968 Florida Constitution, the court-ordered remapping of state legislative districts, the downfall of the Pork Chop Gang, a statewide teachers' strike, and the re-creation of the office of Lieutenant Governor of Florida. After narrowly winning the Republican primary, Kirk was defeated for re-election by state senator Reubin Askew in 1970.
Returning to the Democratic Party, Kirk ran for governor in 1978, for president in 1984, and for U.S. senator in 1988. Kirk rejoined the Republican Party in 1990, and was nominated for Florida education commissioner that same year, losing to incumbent Democrat Betty Castor. On September 28, 2011, Kirk died in his sleep, at the age of 85, at his home in West Palm Beach.
Early life
Kirk was born in San Bernardino, California. Claude R. Kirk Jr.'s father, Claude Kirk Sr. was a businessperson and later a governmental official in Alabama and Florida. He lived in Chicago, Illinois, and Montgomery, Alabama, where he attended Sidney Lanier High School. After graduating at age seventeen, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps reserve and rose to the rank of second lieutenant, having served stateside during World War II. He briefly attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, before he transferred to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. Kirk was accepted at the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa and graduated in 1949. He was recalled to the Marines for the Korean War and was initially assigned to the 1st Marine Division. He later served aboard the battleship USS New Jersey and was discharged as a first lieutenant in 1952.Business
Kirk worked as an insurance salesman and sold building supplies before partnering with W. Ashley Verlander in 1956 to start the American Heritage Life Insurance Company in Jacksonville, Florida. He had very little money of his own, so he recruited investors and his brother-in-law to bankroll the venture. The firm catered to the wealthy and quickly became one of the most successful in the industry, earning Kirk a fortune. Six years later, he left American Heritage Life and purchased a partnership in the New York securities firm, Hayden Stone, selling investments to Floridians.Early political career
In 1960, Kirk switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican and headed the "Floridians for Nixon" campaign, which helped the Republican Party win the state's then ten electoral votes for the third consecutive time.In 1964, Kirk ran as a Republican against veteran Democratic US Senator Spessard Holland, a former governor and epitome of the Florida Democratic establishment. He was considered a placeholder on the ballot, with Republican presidential nominee Barry M. Goldwater losing Florida to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. Kirk polled 36.1 percent of the vote.
Thereafter, Kirk became embroiled in an intraparty squabble with US Representative William C. Cramer of St. Petersburg. Cramer recalled Kirk having "begged me" to allow him to address meetings held during the 1964 delegate and national committeeman races. Thus, Kirk became acquainted with Republican activists who could be helpful to him his later career.
Governor
In 1966, Kirk ran for governor and defeated the Democratic candidate, Robert King High, the mayor of Miami. High had unseated incumbent governor Haydon Burns, a Conservative Democrat, in the Democratic primary. In the general election, Kirk won a majority of the vote in 56 of the state's 67 counties.One of the major themes of Kirk's campaign was his strong support for capital punishment, in contrast to Collins', Bryant's and Burns' opposition to capital punishment. Kirk promised to resume executions, but no executions occurred during his administration, mostly because of an informal nationwide moratorium. Kirk made headlines when, during the campaign, he visited Florida State Prison and, after shaking hands with several death row inmates, said, "If I'm elected, I may have to sign your death warrants."
File:Richard Nixon laughing with Governor Claude Kirk and bride, Erika Mattfield Kirk, during their wedding celebration- Palm Beach, Florida.jpg|thumb|Richard Nixon with Kirk and his wife, Erika Mattfield Kirk, during their wedding celebration in Palm Beach, February 18, 1967.
Burns's refusal to support High was a major factor in Kirk's decisive victory in the general election. Upon taking the oath of office on January 3, 1967, he became the state's first Republican governor in 90 years. During his four-year term in office, Kirk help shepherd a new Florida Constitution bringing Florida into the modern era in 1968. Although he had a Democratic-controlled legislature and Cabinet, Democrats did not have a veto-proof majority during Kirk's term of office. The governor was often at odds with both Democrats and his Republican colleagues in the legislature on issues such as growth and taxes. He earned the nickname Claudius Maximus because of his brash, acerbic style of leadership and opinionated, colorful personality. In May 1967, in response to lobbying from the Walt Disney Company, Kirk signed into law legislation which created the Reedy Creek Improvement District and granted the Walt Disney Company self-governing status near the area where Walt Disney World was being constructed. During 1967, a riot would occur in Tampa starting on June 11. Kirk himself would be involved with it and visited the city on numerous occasions.
During 1968, there would be a statewide teachers strike in Florida. The Florida Education Association, a union for teachers in the state wanted to increase salaries along with school budgets during the 1967 legislature session. Kirk would call a special session for the legislature during January 1968 to try an address a crisis that was forming. The Senate would draft a bill that was at the level of the FEA's desires but the House would reduce its size and a joint committee ended up passing the bill which the FEA thought was unacceptable. 35,000 teachers and school administrators would go on strike starting on February 19. Most schools would stay open and Florida's Commissioner of Education, Floyd T. Christian would use substitute teachers as replacements. The FEA and State Board of Education would end up reaching an agreement and decided that $10.2 million would be decided for educational spending. FEA would end the strike the following day and teachers went back to work. The strike would be the first statewide teacher strike in the United States.
The Apollo 8 mission, which would take the first humans to lunar orbit, and the Apollo 11 mission, which would land the first humans on the Moon, would happen during his tenure. The rocket that carried the Apollo 11 astronauts would be launched at Cape Canaveral on July 17, 1969. Prior to launching, Kirk would issue a news release urging observers of the launch to drive safely around the launch area. During the 1960s and 70s, a drink named Tang would become popular due to its association with the US space program. Orange growers in Florida would be spooked by the success of Tang, which led to the Florida Citrus Commission filing several complaints with the Federal Trade Commission. This would lead to Kirk getting angry and in 1971 he would tell state agencies to cease purchasing from Tang's owner, General Foods. He was reported to say once in regards to it: "Why doesn’t Tang attack milk?"
During Kirk's term, the Dade County Port Authority began secretly buying land in the Everglades to build an airport. Governor Kirk turned a ceremonial shovel of dirt at the groundbreaking. Kirk was a strong supporter of what would have been the world's largest airport despite evidence that it would destroy the water-recharge area South Florida needed. His transportation secretary, Michael O'Neil, stated, "I call the Everglades a swamp. My children can't play in it." The work was ultimately halted on September 17, 1969, after an Interior Department study ordered by Nixon.
Kirk's management style was described as flamboyant and confrontational. He especially opposed court-ordered mandatory busing. In 1970, as he geared for a reelection bid, he tried to halt a desegregation busing plan in the Manatee County School District. He would arrive in Bradenton on April 6 and suspended the district superintendent, Dr. Jack Davidson along with the school board in an attempt to stop halt it. He would threaten a federal judge and stated that he would not sign busing students checks. US District Judge, Ben Krentzman would order that Kirk appear in court under the charge of contempt of court charge which he refused. The superintendent and school board members would be reinstated on April 8. Claude would end up staying inside the school board administration building for a week until being threatened by a $10,000 per day fine before leaving the building to return to Tallahassee. He quipped that the pro-busing judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, based in New Orleans, were "drinking in the French Quarter and reading dirty books".
After the publication of John Filo's photograph showing Mary Ann Vecchio of Florida kneeling over the body of Jeffrey Miller at the Kent State University shootings on May 4, 1970, Governor Kirk publicly labeled Vecchio a dissident "Communist".