James Myers of OAN
7:45am – Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Bob Graham, a former U.S. senator and two-term governor of Florida, died Tuesday at the age of 87.
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Graham’s daughter Gwen issued a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing his death.
“We are deeply saddened to report the passing of a visionary leader, dedicated public servant, and more importantly, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather,” the family said in a statement.
“As a member of Congress, the 38th “Governor and United States Senator Bob Graham dedicated his life to improving the world around him,” a statement from Graham’s daughter said. “His monuments to that dedication are from the Everglades and other natural treasures he was determined to preserve, to the universities he championed in his commitment to higher education, to the international community he fostered through his work with intelligence agencies. It’s all over the place, from understanding to community, and much more. ”
Mr. Graham served three terms in the Senate, but his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 was unsuccessful. He was also known as a critic of President George W. Bush’s administration for its involvement in the Iraq War.
The former Florida governor served for 10 years on the Senate Intelligence Committee, where he was responsible for the Congressional investigation into the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Graham said in 2003, “The quagmire in Iraq is a mess created by the Bush administration, and the Bush administration alone.”
Additionally, he was one of 23 senators to vote against President Bush’s request for Congress to use military force against Iraq.
“Unfortunately, I have never wavered in my belief that this was a diversion that would end badly in Iraq and would end even worse in Afghanistan,” Graham wrote in an opinion piece for the newspaper. huffington post In 2008.
Graham was once considered a front-runner for the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2004.
After retiring from the Senate in 2005, Graham moved to the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida.
Five years later, in 2010, President Barack Obama appointed him to a task force investigating the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Bob Graham used to tell people that his favorite title wasn’t governor or senator. It was the name his grandchildren gave him: Doodle. “When you’re really good, you’re super They call me Doodle,’ he liked to say,” his daughter’s post said.
“For 87 years, Bob Graham has truly been more than good,” the statement concluded. “He was a rare man with a combination of public accomplishments and personal characteristics that combined to make him an unforgettable person. As his family, we honor his love for us, Florida, We will never forget his love for America and the world, and the love that so many people showed him. We thank God for the gift of life.”
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