Robert Butterworth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families | |
| In office December 19, 2006 – July 29, 2008 | |
| Governor | Charlie Crist |
| Preceded by | Lucy Hadi |
| Succeeded by | George Sheldon |
| 33rdFlorida Attorney General | |
| In office January 6, 1987 – November 4, 2002 | |
| Governor | Bob Martinez Lawton Chiles Buddy MacKay Jeb Bush |
| Preceded by | James C. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Richard E. Doran |
| Sheriff of Broward County | |
| In office 1979–1982 | |
| Preceded by | Edward J. Stack[1] |
| Succeeded by | George Brescher |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1942-08-20)August 20, 1942 (age 83) Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Florida (BA) University of Miami (JD) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Robert A. Butterworth Jr. (born August 20, 1942) is an American lawyer and politician from the state ofFlorida.
Butterworth was born inPassaic, New Jersey, and moved to Florida with his family as a child. He received adegree inbusiness administration from theUniversity of Florida in 1965, and aJuris Doctor degree from theUniversity of Miami in 1969. He is a member ofTau Kappa Epsilon and previously served on its international board of directors.[2]
Butterworth was ajudge in the county and circuit courts ofBroward County from 1974 to 78, when he was appointedsheriff of Broward County. He was appointed to head up Florida'sDepartment of Motor Vehicles in 1982 and to bemayor ofSunrise, Florida in 1984.
In 1986, on the eve of his election as attorney general, Butterworth's ex-wife, Saundra, fatally shot their 16-year-old son, Robert A. Butterworth III, and then killed herself on a northeastMiami street. Police said she was mentally ill and had used a gun Butterworth had given her for protection before their divorce in 1976.[3] Butterworth has two surviving children, a daughter, BreAnne and her brother, Brandon.
ADemocrat, Butterworth served as the 33rdFlorida attorney general for four consecutive terms under four governors (both Republican and Democrat):Bob Martinez,Lawton Chiles,Buddy MacKay, andJeb Bush. He was first elected in 1986 and reelected in 1990, 1994, and1998. His popularity among voters in the state led to frequent mention of his name as a potential candidate forGovernor of Florida or for theU.S. Senate.
Butterworth was attorney general during the final years of use of the electric chair in executing death row prisoners. It was notorious for frequent malfunctions in the 1990s, namely in the cases ofJesse Tafero (executed May 4, 1990),Pedro Medina (executed March 25, 1997) andAllen Lee Davis (executed July 8, 1999). Reportedly, six-inch flames shot out of Tafero's head and 12-inch flames shot out of Medina's head, raising the question whether use of the electric chair was cruel and unusual punishment. After the Medina execution, Butterworth commented, "People who wish to commit murder, they'd better not do it in the state of Florida because we may have a problem with the electric chair."[4]
One of Butterworth's key activities during his time in office was the initiation and execution of Florida's lawsuit against thetobacco industry, which was one of the early contributions to what eventually became a nationwide effort. As a result of this suit, tobacco companies agreed to pay $11 billion to the state of Florida.
Butterworth was the Florida chair ofAl Gore's2000 presidential campaign and chose not to use his capacities as Attorney General to influence court decisions on whether all the votes would be counted, given the obviousconflict of interest that would have been involved in doing so. (Butterworth did argue in favor of a statewide recount in the media.)
Butterworth'sRepublican counterpart,Florida Secretary of StateKatherine Harris, was the Florida chair ofGeorge W. Bush'spresidential campaign.
In 2002, Butterworth ran for Seat 25 in the Florida Senate, in hopes of representing portions of Palm Beach and Broward Counties. He resigned as Attorney General because of Florida's "resign-to-run laws.[5] However, he was defeated byRepublicanJeffrey Atwater.
Butterworth wasdean of theSchool of Law atSt. Thomas University. On December 19, 2006, governor-electCharlie Crist named Butterworth as the new secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families. On July 29, 2008, Secretary Butterworth resigned his post as Secretary of The Department of Children and Families and joined a Fort Lauderdale law firm.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Butterworth | 1,900,890 | 58.63 | |
| Republican | Jim Watt | 1,341,090 | 41.37 | |
| Total votes | 3,241,980 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Butterworth | Unopposed | 100.0 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Butterworth | 2,312,010 | 57.50 | |
| Republican | Henry Ferro | 1,709,139 | 42.50 | |
| Total votes | 4,021,149 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Butterworth | 2,301,328 | 59.56 | |
| Republican | David Bludworth | 1,562,269 | 40.44 | |
| Total votes | 3,863,597 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeffrey Atwater | 77,855 | 55.09 | |
| Democratic | Bob Butterworth | 63,465 | 44.91 | |
| Total votes | 141,320 | 100.0 | ||
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forFlorida Attorney General 1986, 1990,1994,1998 | Succeeded by |
