CHILES, Lawton Mainor, Jr., (1930 - 1998)

Senate Years of Service: 1971-1989
Party: Democrat


Courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office

CHILES, Lawton Mainor, Jr., (uncle of Kay Hagan), a Senator from Florida; born in Lakeland, Polk County, Fla., April 3, 1930; attended the Lakeland public schools; graduated University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., 1952, and from the law school of the same university in 1955; served in the United States Army as artillery officer during Korean Conflict 1953-1954; admitted to the Florida bar in 1955 and commenced practice in Lakeland; member, Florida house of representatives 1958-1966; member, Florida State senate 1966-1970; businessman, banker, and industrial developer; chairman, Florida Law Revision Commission 1968-1970; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1970; reelected in 1976 and again in 1982, and served from January 3, 1971, to January 3, 1989; chairman, Special Committee on Aging (Ninety-Sixth Congress), Committee on the Budget (One Hundredth Congress); was not a candidate for reelection in 1988; elected Governor of Florida in 1990; reelected Governor in 1994; was not a candidate for reelection in 1998; was a resident of Tallahassee, Fla., until his death on December 12, 1998; funeral services held at Faith Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee following a procession from Century, Fla., to Tallahassee; interment on privately owned property known as "Jubilee," in Leon County, Fla.


Bibliography

Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives; United States. Congress. Senate. A Memorial Service in Honor of Florida’s Former Governor and United States Senator: Lawton Chiles, April 3, 1930-December 12, 1998. Washington: GPO, 1999.