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Joe Biden pays tribute to ex-US senator Bob Graham after his death: ‘He was full of humor and humanity’
President Joe Biden has paid a tribute to former Florida governor and US Sen. Bob Graham after his death
President Joe Biden has paid a tribute to former Florida governor and US Sen. Bob Graham after his death. Graham’s daughter Gwen Graham announced the news Tuesday, April 17.
Graham, who was 87 at the time of his death, served three terms in the Senate. He made an unsuccessful bid for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, and expressed his opposition to the Iraq invasion at the time.
A heart surgery he had to undergo in January 2003 delayed his bid, and he eventually bowed out in October that year. He did not seek re-election in 20024, and Republican Mel Martinez went on to replace him.
President Joe Biden’s statement
In a statement released by the White House, Biden called Graham “a colleague, friend, and devoted Floridian.” “He and I served together in the U.S. Senate, as respective chairs of the Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees in the wake of 9/11, working to heal a shattered nation and to protect America in a changing world. Bob stood on principle against the Iraq War. He cosponsored my landmark Violence Against Women Act, transforming the way our nation responds to domestic abuse and sexual assault,” the statement read.
“He was committed to education and to the environment, continuing work that he’d begun as governor to support public schools and universities, and to protect the water supply, wetlands, and wildlife of Florida’s iconic Everglades. He was full of humor and humanity, and I’m grateful for the support that he gave me over the years,” it added.
Biden said that Graham loved people and knew “it matters to walk a mile in other folks’ shoes.” He added that Graham even inspired his daughter to serve in Congress. The president said that he is “proud to have her in my Administration today, as an Assistant Secretary of Education.”
“Our hearts today are with Bob’s beloved wife of 65 years, Adele; with their four daughters, Gwen, Cissy, Suzanne, and Kendall; with their grandchildren and friends; and with the people of Florida, whom Bob served so well in so many ways for so long,” the statement concluded.
