Kenneth Hood "Buddy" MacKay Jr. (March 22, 1933 – December 31, 2024) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 42nd

governor of Florida The governor of Florida is the head of government of the U.S. state of Florida. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Government of Florida#Executive branch, executive branch of the government of Florida and is the comman ...

from December 12, 1998, to January 5, 1999, upon the death of Lawton Chiles. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 14th lieutenant governor of Florida from 1991 to 1998. During his career, he also served as a state legislator and as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

and

special envoy Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

. MacKay was the most recent Democratic Governor of Florida, and until his death in 2024, the last living one.

Early life

MacKay was born to a

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

-farming family in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making ...

, the son of Julia Elizabeth (Farnum) and Kenneth Hood MacKay. He served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

during the 1950s, and then attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

, where he was tapped into Florida Blue Key and eventually received a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Some law degrees are professional degrees that are prerequisites or serve as preparation for legal careers. These generally include the Bachelor of Civil Law, Bachelor of Laws, an ...

. MacKay was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame (the most prestigious honor a student can receive from UF) and was a member of The Board. He married Anne Selph in 1960; the couple has four sons.

Political career

MacKay was elected to the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

in 1968, and to the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

in 1974. In

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, he ran for U.S. Senate and came third in the Democratic Party primary, therefore failing to qualify for the runoff. Two years later in 1982, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and won. From 1983 to 1989 he served for three terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. In 1988 he received the Democratic nomination for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

, but lost in a very close race for that office to

Connie Mack III Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy III (born October 29, 1940), also known as Connie Mack III, is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 13th congressional district from 1983 to ...

Lieutenant governorship

MacKay won the 1990 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor on the ticket headed by former U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles, who had held the Senate seat MacKay had unsuccessfully sought two years earlier. They won the election and were re-elected in 1994, the latter campaign being a close contest against the Republican ticket headed by

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. A member of the Bush family, Bush political family, he was an unsuccessful candidate for pre ...

. As lieutenant governor, MacKay was co-chair of the Florida Commission on Education, Reform and Accountability. He was regarded as the most significant and powerful lieutenant governor in Florida's history. MacKay was a strong supporter of the use of

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

, as was Chiles. When he was asked during the 1998 gubernatorial election campaign about his positions on use of the death penalty and

electric chair The electric chair is a specialized device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The condemned is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg. Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo, New Yo ...

in Florida, he replied: "I support the death penalty and support the use of the electric chair so long as it operates in a reliable fashion." However he suggested that Florida should change its mode of execution after Pedro Medina's botched execution, saying: "The last thing we want to do is generate sympathy for these killers."

Gubernatorial campaign

In 1998, MacKay sought to succeed the term-limited Chiles as governor, easily winning the Democratic nomination with his full support. However, MacKay secured only 44.7% of the vote, losing to Republican nominee Jeb Bush, who had narrowly lost the 1994 contest but secured 55.3% of the vote in 1998.

Governorship

Despite his defeat, MacKay became Chiles' successor when Chiles died unexpectedly on December 12, 1998. MacKay was at this time in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

with his wife. When they returned to their hotel room, they found a message about Chiles' death, asking MacKay to get on a plane to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, where they were picked up by a state crew and flown through thick fog to Tallahassee. At 12.30 a.m. the next day, the 65-year-old MacKay was sworn in as Florida's 42nd governor at his Capitol office for the 24 days remaining in Chiles' term. "There's no great pleasure in this," said MacKay about taking a job he had sought, but got for a short time after his political partner's death. He also stated how sorry he was that he would be unable because of the short time and lack of mandate to take care of such issues as education and health care. Despite keeping a low public profile during his time as governor, MacKay made at least 56 appointments to various boards and to various offices, including two judgeships. He granted six pardons to female prisoners and was involved in such issues as the negotiation plan for the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of flooded grasslands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the K ...

, and moderated some other disputes. Perhaps his most visible act as governor was signing

Peggy Quince Peggy Ann Quince (born January 3, 1948) is a former justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, having previously served as chief justice from July 1, 2008, until June 30, 2010. Quince was the second African American and third woman to serve as chi ...

's nomination to the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

. Quince was Chiles' last pick for the bench and it fell to MacKay, and then Bush, to sustain her nomination. MacKay was succeeded by Bush on January 5, 1999.

Diplomacy

After his governorship ended, MacKay retired from active politics, but remained publicly active. MacKay was appointed by

President Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the att ...

as a special envoy for the Americas, being the second person to hold this position. During his tenure he traveled to 26 countries in the Americas, working on issues such as the

Free Trade Area of the Americas The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA, , ALCA, Portuguese: ''Área de Livre Comércio das Américas'', ALCA, French: Zone de libre-échange des Amériques, ZLEA) was a proposed agreement to eliminate or reduce the trade barriers among all ...

(FTAA), the

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...

(NAFTA), the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), hemispheric security, strengthening the rule of law, labor standards, environmental policies and human rights. He attended a “Day with Florida Governors” symposium, organized by the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

and Louis Frey Institute on March 27, 2006, with Governor Bush and former governors Claude Roy Kirk Jr.,

Reubin Askew Reubin O'Donovan Askew (September 11, 1928 – March 13, 2014) was an American politician, who served as the 37th governor of Florida from 1971 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 7th U.S. trade representative from 1979 ...

Bob Graham Daniel Robert Graham (November 9, 1936 – April 16, 2024) was an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 38th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senate, United States senat ...

and Bob Martinez ( Wayne Mixson, who served for three days after Graham's resignation, wasn't present).

Personal life and death

MacKay's memoir about his political career, ''How Florida Happened'', was published by the University Press of Florida in March 2010. MacKay died at his home in

Ocklawaha, Florida Ocklawaha (also spelled Oklawaha) is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marion County, Florida, Marion County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the popula ...

, on the afternoon of December 31, 2024.

Electoral history

Florida Senate, 6th district (1974) * Buddy MacKay (D) – 26,418 (75.32%) * Charles E. Curtis (R) – 8,655 (24.68%) Florida Senate, 6th district (1978) * Buddy MacKay (D, Inc.) – elected unopposed United States Senate election in Florida, 1980 (Democratic primary) *

Richard Stone Sir John Richard Nicholas Stone (30 August 1913 – 6 December 1991) was an eminent British economist. He was educated at Gonville and Caius College and King's College at the University of Cambridge. In 1984, he was awarded the Nobel Memori ...

(Inc.) – 355,287 (32.08%) * Bill Gunter – 335,859 (30.33%) * Buddy MacKay – 272,538 (24.61%) * Richard A. Pettigrew – 108,154 (9.77%) * James L. Miller – 18,118 (1.64%) * John B. Coffey – 17,410 (1.57%) Florida's 6th congressional district, 1982 * Buddy MacKay (D) – 85,825 (61.35%) * Ed Havill (R) – 54,059 (38.65%) Florida's 6th congressional district, 1984 * Buddy MacKay (D, Inc.) – 167,409 (99.30%) * Eric Tarnley (write-in) – 1,174 (0.70%) Florida's 6th congressional district, 1986 *Buddy MacKay (D, Inc.) – 143,598 (70.16%) * Larry Gallagher (R) – 61,069 (29.84%) United States Senate election in Florida, 1988 (Democratic primary) * Bill Gunter – 383,721 (38.00%) * Buddy MacKay – 263,946 (26.14%) * Dan Mica – 179,524 (17.78%) * Pat Frank – 119,277 (11.81%) * Claude Roy Kirk Jr. – 51,387 (5.09%) * Fred Rader – 11,820 (1.17%) Florida United States Senate election, 1988 (Democratic runoff) * Buddy MacKay – 369,266 (52.00%) *Bill Gunter – 340,918 (48.00%) Florida United States Senate election, 1988 *

(R) – 2,051,071 (50.42%) * Buddy MacKay (D) – 2,016,553 (49.57%) * Adam Straus (write-in) – 585 (0.01%) Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, 1990 * Buddy MacKay – 746,325 (69.49%) * Tom Gustafson – 327,731 (30.51%) Florida gubernatorial election, 1990 * Lawton Chiles/Buddy MacKay (D) – 1,995,206 (56.51%) * Bob Martinez/ J. Allison DeFoor (R) – 1,535,068 (43.48%) Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, 1994 * Buddy MacKay (Inc.) – 603,657 (72.17%) * James H. King – 232,757 (27.83%) Florida gubernatorial election, 1994 * Lawton Chiles/Buddy MacKay (D, Inc.) – 2,135,008 (50.75%) *

/ Tom Feeney (R) – 2,071,068 (49.23%) Florida gubernatorial election, 1998 * Jeb Bush/Frank Brogan (R) – 2,191,105 (55.27%) * Buddy MacKay/ Rick Dantzler (D) – 1,773,054 (44.72%) Source
Our Campaigns – Candidate – Kenneth "Buddy" MacKay Jr.

References

External links

*
Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida

Biography from Congressional Bioguide

* , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackay, Buddy 1933 births 2024 deaths 20th-century members of the Florida Legislature 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 21st-century American memoirists Candidates in the 1980 United States elections Candidates in the 1988 United States elections Candidates in the 1998 United States elections Democratic Party Florida state senators Democratic Party governors of Florida Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida Florida Democrats Fredric G. Levin College of Law alumni Lieutenant governors of Florida Military personnel from Florida Politicians from Ocala, Florida Presbyterians from Florida United States Air Force officers University of Florida alumni Writers from Florida