Gov. Ron DeSantis posthumously awarded the Governor’s Medal of Freedom, Florida’s highest civilian distinction, to former Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham on Wednesday.
Graham, a University of Florida alumnus, was one of five Floridians to receive the award. The other four honored were Kenneth Hood “Buddy” MacKay Jr., James “Jimmy” Buffett, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and John Thrasher.
“I’m proud to recognize the legacies of these great Floridians,” said DeSantis in a press release. “Our state is better for their contributions, and we’re proud they called Florida home. They have each earned the honor of being awarded the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.”
This recognition celebrates Graham’s (1936-2024) lifetime of public service, his commitment to civic leadership and his enduring legacy through the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, housed within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida, according to a UF press release.
“This award honors Senator Graham’s extraordinary service to Florida and the nation, but it also points to the future,” said the center’s Interim Director Marianne Vernetson in a press release. “His vision was not only to lead in his own time but to educate and empower young people to lead in theirs. That is the mission of the Bob Graham Center — to equip students with the knowledge and skills to strengthen our democracy and improve the communities they serve.”
Graham was born on Nov. 9, 1936, in Coral Gables, Florida, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UF in 1959. From 1979 to 1987, he served as Florida’s 38th governor and as a U.S. senator from 1987 to 2005. He was respected for his work on education, environmental conservation and national security.
Graham chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee and co-chaired the congressional inquiry into the 9/11 attacks, and in 2010, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the commission investigating the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
After he retired from the Senate, Graham and his wife, Adele, founded the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at UF to continue his commitment to civic education and public policy. The center bridges academics with real-world public service through signature programs in leadership development, policy innovation and community dialogue.
The center will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026.
Established in 2020, the Governor’s Medal of Freedom is awarded to any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to the interests and citizens of Florida, its culture, or other significant public or private endeavor.