The brothels of
Jacksonville are sobbing...
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Former Florida Gov. Claude R. Kirk Jr. has died at age 85.
Kirk was Florida's 36th governor and served from 1967 to 1971.
He was born in San Bernardino, Calif., and served as a Marine officer in World War II and the Korean War before he settled in Jacksonville and began a career in the insurance industry. In 1956, he co-founded the American Heritage Life Insurance Company with W. Ashley Verlander.
Kirk, often referred to as "Claudius Maximus" due to his flamboyant personality, is credited with changing the course of state government and politics during his four-year term.
Democrats dominated Florida politics when Kirk was elected in 1966, but his victory cracked open the door for what eventually became the Republicans' mastery of Tallahassee.
