Bob Martinez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Martinez
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy | |
| In office March 28, 1991 – January 20, 1993 |
|
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Bill Bennett |
| Succeeded by | John Walters (acting) |
| 40th Governor of Florida | |
| In office January 6, 1987 – January 8, 1991 |
|
| Lieutenant | Bobby Brantley |
| Preceded by | Wayne Mixson |
| Succeeded by | Lawton Chiles |
| 54th Mayor of Tampa | |
| In office October 1, 1979 – July 16, 1986 |
|
| Preceded by | Bill Poe |
| Succeeded by | Sandra Freedman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 25, 1934 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1983–present) Democratic (before 1983) |
| Spouse |
Mary Jane Marino
(m. 1954) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Tampa (BS) University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (MS) |
Robert "Bob" Martinez (born December 25, 1934) is a retired American politician. He served as the 40th governor of Florida from 1987 to 1991. As a member of the Republican Party, Martinez was the first Hispanic American to be governor of Florida since the state was a Spanish colony.
Martinez was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. He started his career as a teacher before becoming the leader of the local teachers' union. He was involved in the Florida statewide teachers' strike of 1968.
He later entered politics, becoming the mayor of Tampa in 1979. While he was mayor, he switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. This surprised some of his supporters. In 1986, he successfully ran for governor of Florida.
After serving one term as governor, President George H. W. Bush appointed him as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. After serving in that role, he returned to Tampa and became a business consultant.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bob Martinez was born in Tampa, Florida, on December 25, 1934. His grandparents were immigrants from Asturias, a region in Spain. They came to work in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa. His mother was a seamstress, and his father was a waiter.
Martinez grew up in the neighborhoods of Ybor City and West Tampa. He graduated from Jefferson High School in 1953. He then earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Tampa in 1957.
Career Before Politics
Teacher and Union Leader
After college, Martinez taught civics at local high schools in Tampa. He later earned a master's degree in labor and industrial relations from the University of Illinois in 1964.
In 1965, Martinez became the executive director of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association (HCTA). This was the local union for teachers in Hillsborough County.
In 1968, the HCTA joined a statewide teachers' strike. The teachers wanted more money for education and the right to negotiate as a group (called collective bargaining). While the strike didn't seem to work at first, many of its goals were achieved over the next few years. In 1971, Martinez helped negotiate the first union contract for Hillsborough County teachers.
Political Career
In 1974, Martinez ran for mayor of Tampa but did not win. He resigned from the HCTA in 1975. He was then appointed to a position at the Southwest Florida Water Management District by Governor Reubin Askew.
Mayor of Tampa
.jpg)
Martinez ran for mayor of Tampa again in 1979 and won. He was reelected in 1983. As mayor, he led many important projects for the city. These included building a large performing arts center, a new convention center, and completely rebuilding the Lowry Park Zoo.
The city also expanded by adding a large area of land that became the neighborhood of New Tampa.
Although the mayor's office is nonpartisan (meaning not tied to a political party), Martinez was a known Democrat. In 1983, he switched his party to Republican after meeting with President Ronald Reagan. This move surprised many people in Tampa, which had many Democratic voters.
Governor of Florida
In 1985, Martinez decided to run for governor of Florida. He resigned as mayor in 1986 to focus on his campaign. He won the election and became the second Republican governor of Florida since the Reconstruction era and the state's first Hispanic governor.
Time as Governor
As governor, Martinez started a large environmental program called Preservation 2000 to buy and protect land. He also created laws to protect Florida's water, including Lake Okeechobee and Tampa Bay. He was a strong supporter of laws to protect animals like manatees and dolphins.
Martinez also worked to increase spending on programs to fight drug use. For a while, he was seen as a rising star in the Republican party.
Challenges and Controversies
To raise money for the state, the Florida government passed a sales tax on services with Martinez's support. Many Floridians were very unhappy with this new tax. Just two months later, Martinez called a special meeting of the legislature to remove it. This change in position hurt his popularity.
In 1989, Martinez ordered state lawyers to see if the album Nasty as They Wanna Be by the rap group 2 Live Crew broke state laws. This led to the arrest of record store owners and members of the group. However, everyone who was arrested was later found not guilty.
That same year, Martinez called another special session of the legislature to discuss new laws. The session was not successful, as none of his ideas were approved. This caused his approval ratings to drop very low.
1990 Election
By the time of the 1990 election for governor, Martinez was not very popular. He lost the election by a large margin to the Democratic candidate, Lawton Chiles. As of 2025, Martinez is the last governor of Florida to lose a reelection campaign.
Life After Politics
After leaving the governor's office in 1991, President George H. W. Bush appointed Martinez to a position in his cabinet. He became the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, also known as the "Drug Czar." He served in this role until 1993.
Since then, Martinez has worked as a consultant for businesses and law firms in Florida. He also works as a political expert for the Bay News 9 television station. He is involved with several local educational groups, including the University of Tampa and the Tampa Bay History Center.
Personal Life
Bob Martinez married Mary Jane Marino in 1954. They have two children, Robert Alan Martinez and Sharon Martinez.
See also
- List of American politicians who switched parties in office
- List of minority governors and lieutenant governors in the United States
