450th Commissioner: Senator Bob Graham

Senator Bob Graham is the former two–term governor of Florida and served for 18 years in the United States Senate.

This is combined with 12 years in the Florida legislature for a total of 38 years of public service. As Governor and Senator, Bob Graham was a centrist, committed to bringing his colleagues together behind programs that served the broadest public interest. He was recognized by the people of Florida when he received an 83% approval ranking as he concluded eight years as Governor. Bob Graham retired from public service in January 2005, following his Presidential campaign in 2004.

Bob Graham is recognized for his leadership on issues ranging from healthcare and environmental preservation to his ten years of service on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence — including eighteen months as chairman in 2001–2002. Following the release of the Joint Inquiry’s final report in July 2003, Senator Graham steadfastly advocated reform of the intelligence community and sponsored legislation to bring about needed changes. In the fall of 2004 Senator Graham authored “Intelligence Matters” based upon his experiences gleaned during the joint inquiry and his analysis of the run up to the Iraq war.

After retiring from public life, Senator Graham served for a year as a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where he lectured to undergraduate, graduate and executive management students. His primary focus was on civic education and intelligence, issues which continue to be of great importance to him.

Senator Graham was recently appointed by the President to serve as Co-Chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The Commission’s task is to examine the root causes of the oil disaster and to develop recommendations for guarding against, and mitigating the impact of, future oil spills associated with offshore drilling.

Senator Graham also currently serves as a Commissioner on the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, established by Congress to examine the global and domestic causes of the recent financial crisis.

In addition to his commission related activities, Senator Graham is also the author of a new book about civic participation, entitled “America: The Owner’s Manual.” The goal of the book is to provide ordinary people with the means and motivation to go out and influence decision makers in order to achieve positive change in their neighborhoods and communities.

Bob and Adele have returned to their home in Miami Lakes, Florida, and are enjoying more time with their four daughters and eleven grandchildren.

Congress established the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Commission as part of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 and charged it with ensuring a suitable national observance of St. Augustine’s 450th anniversary by complementing the programs and activities of the State of Florida and the City of St. Augustine. The members were appointed by U. S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar after considering the recommendations of the Mayor of St. Augustine, the St. Augustine City Commission, and the Chancellor of the University System of Florida, the Governor of Florida, and the Florida delegation in Congress.