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Though born in Muskogee, [[Oklahoma]], Askew moved to Florida in 1937 with his mother, the former Alberta O'Donovan (1897-1989), a native of Pensacola. His parents were divorced when he was two years of age.<ref name=findagrave/> He was engaged in the private practice of law in Pensacola in Escambia County in the Florida Panhandle. He obtained a bachelor's degree from [[Florida State University]] in the capital city of [[Tallahassee]] and his legal credentials from the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the [[University of Florida]] in Gainesville. He was a [[United States Army]] military intelligence officer from 1946 to 1948. During the [[Korean War]], he served in the [[United States Air Force]].<ref name=findagrave/> While in Pensacola, he was elected in 1958 to the Florida House of Representatives and in 1962 to the state Senate. In 1970, as the [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[governor|gubernatorial]] nominee, he handily unseated the controversial one-term incumbent [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Claude Kirk]], for whom then [[U.S. President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]] and Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]] campaigned in another heavily Democratic year. Agnew polled 984,305 votes (56.9 percent) to 746,243 (43.1 percent. In 1974, he defeated the Republican Jerry Thomas, 61 to 39 percent, to become the first Florida governor to serve two four-year consecutive terms.

Though born in Muskogee, [[Oklahoma]], Askew moved to Florida in 1937 with his mother, the former Alberta O'Donovan (1897-1989), a native of Pensacola. His parents were divorced when he was two years of age.<ref name=findagrave/> He was engaged in the private practice of law in Pensacola in Escambia County in the Florida Panhandle. He obtained a bachelor's degree from [[Florida State University]] in the capital city of [[Tallahassee]] and his legal credentials from the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the [[University of Florida]] in Gainesville. He was a [[United States Army]] military intelligence officer from 1946 to 1948. During the [[Korean War]], he served in the [[United States Air Force]].<ref name=findagrave/> While in Pensacola, he was elected in 1958 to the Florida House of Representatives and in 1962 to the state Senate. In 1970, as the [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[governor|gubernatorial]] nominee, he handily unseated the controversial one-term incumbent [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Claude Kirk]], for whom then [[U.S. President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]] and Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]] campaigned in another heavily Democratic year. Agnew polled 984,305 votes (56.9 percent) to 746,243 (43.1 percent. In 1974, he defeated the Republican Jerry Thomas, 61 to 39 percent, to become the first Florida governor to serve two four-year consecutive terms.

Askew is widely considered to have been one of his state's best governors; in 2014, ''The Tampa Bay Times'' ranked him the second best governor in state history and the [[John F. Kennedy]] School of Government at [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge]], [[Massachusetts]], rated him one of the country's top ten governors of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/times-may-have-changed-but-former-florida-gov-reubin-askew-hasnt/2133837|title=Times may have changed, but former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew hasn't|publisher=''The Tampa Bay Times''|date=July 29, 2013|accessdate=March 24, 2021|author=Steve Bosquet}}</ref>> In 1972, Askew was the keynote speaker at the [[Democratic National Convention]], which met in Miami Beach. He declined an offer to be the running-mate with party nominee [[George McGovern]] of [[South Dakota]], who finally selected the Kennedy in-law, [[Sargent Shriver]] for the nod.

Askew is widely considered to have been one of his state's best governors; in 2014, ''The Tampa Bay Times'' ranked him the second best governor in state history and the [[John F. Kennedy]] School of Government at [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge]], [[Massachusetts]], rated him one of the country's top ten governors of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/times-may-have-changed-but-former-florida-gov-reubin-askew-hasnt/2133837|title=Times may have changed, but former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew hasn't|publisher=''The Tampa Bay Times''|date=July 29, 2013|accessdate=March 24, 2021|author=Steve Bosquet}}</ref>> In 1972, Askew was the keynote speaker at the [[Democratic National Convention]], which met in Miami Beach. He declined an offer to be the running-mate with party nominee [[George McGovern]] of [[South Dakota]], who finally selected the Kennedy in-law, [[Sargent Shriver]] for the nod.

After he left the governorship, Askew was from 1979 to 1981 the United States Trade Representative under President [[Jimmy Carter]]. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 but withdrew before [[Walter Mondale]] of [[Minnesota]], who had been the vice president under Carter, clinched the nomination, only to lose forty-nine states to Republican [[Ronald W. Reagan]]. Askew later taught at the public universities of Florida.

After he left the governorship, Askew was from 1979 to 1981 the United States Trade Representative under President [[Jimmy Carter]]. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 but withdrew after finishing last

in the [[New Hampshire]] [[primary]]. The nomination went to [[Walter Mondale]], a former U.S. Senator for [[Minnesota]], who had been the vice president under Carter, clinched the nomination, only to lose forty-nine states to Republican [[Ronald W. Reagan]]. Askew later taught at the public universities of Florida.

He died in Tallahsssee of a stroke at the age of eighty-five and is interred along with his mother at Bayview Memorial Park in Pensacola.<ref name=findagrave>Reubin O'Donovan Askew (1928-2014) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed March 24, 2021.</ref>

He died in Tallahasssee of a stroke at the age of eighty-five and is interred along with his mother at Bayview Memorial Park in Pensacola.<ref name=findagrave>Reubin O'Donovan Askew (1928-2014) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed March 24, 2021.</ref>

The Reubin O'D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy at Florida State University is named in his honor.<ref>Reubin Askew - Biography - IMDb, accessed March 24, 2021.</ref>  Interstate 110 in Pensacola is named the Reubin O'Donovan Askew Parkway.

The Reubin O'D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy at Florida State University is named in his honor.<ref>Reubin Askew - Biography - IMDb, accessed March 24, 2021.</ref>  Interstate 110 in Pensacola is named the Reubin O'Donovan Askew Parkway.