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Kenneth Hood MacKay, Jr.
42nd Governor of Florida
In office December 13, 1998 – January 5, 1999
Lieutenant(s)	None
Preceded by	Lawton Chiles
Succeeded by	Jeb Bush
Presidential Special Envoy for the Americas
In office 1999 – 2001
President	Bill Clinton
Member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 6th district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1989
Preceded by	Bill Young
Succeeded by	Cliff Stearns
6th Lieutenant Governor of Florida
In office January 8, 1991 – December 13, 1998
Preceded by	Bobby Brantley
Succeeded by	Frank Brogan
Born	March 22, 1933 (1933-03-22) (age 74)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Anne Selph

Kenneth Hood "Buddy" MacKay, Jr. (born March 22, 1933) is an American politician and diplomat from Florida. A Democrat, he was briefly the forty-second Governor of Florida following the death of Lawton Chiles on December 12, 1998. During his long public service career he was also state legislator, U.S. Representative, Lt. Governor and later special envoy of President Bill Clinton's administration for the Americas.

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Lieutenant Governor and gubernatorial candidate 3 Governorship 4 Diplomacy and later life 5 Electoral history[8] 6 References 7 External links

MacKay was born to a citrus farming family in Ocala, Florida. He served in the United States Air Force during the 1950s, and then attended the University of Florida, eventually receiving a law degree. MacKay was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame (the most prestigious honor a student can receive from UF). He married Anne Selph in 1960; the couple has four sons.

MacKay was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1968, and to the Florida Senate in 1975. From 1983 to 1989 he served for three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he made controlling the national budget one of his main concerns. In 1988 he received the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate, but lost in a very close race for that office to Connie Mack III.

MacKay won Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor on ticked headed by former Senator Lawton Chiles. Their won the election and were re-elected in 1994.

As Lieutenant Governor, MacKay was given many duties and played a very important role in Chiles' cabinet, including being co-chair of the Florida Commission on Education, Reform and Accountability^[1]. He was regarded as the most significant and powerful lieutenant governor in Florida's history^[2].

MacKay was a strong supporter of use of the capital punishment, as Chiles was. When he was asked during gubernatorial election about his positions on use the death penalty and electric chair 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^[3]. However he suggested Florida should change its mode of execution after Pedro Medina's botched execution, said: The last thing we want to do is generate sympathy for these killers^[4].

In 1998 MacKay sought to succeed term-limited Chiles as Governor, easily winning Democratic nomination with his full support (Chiles and MacKay were known for their frinedly relationship). He, however, was unable to beat Republican nominee Jeb Bush.

Despite defeat, MacKay became Chiles' successor when his boss died unexpectedly on December 12, 1998. MacKay was at this time in Boston with his wife. When their returned to the hotel room, they found a message about Chiles' death, which calling MacKay to get on a plane to Atlanta, where they were picked up by a state crew and flown through thick fog to Tallahassee.

At 12.30 a.m. next day 65-year old MacKay was sworn-in as Florida 42nd Governor at his capitol office for 23 days remaining term.

MacKay's task as Governor were primary overseeing Chiles' funeral service and transition of power to Governor-Elect. He, however, made some leftover appointments.

There's no great pleasure in this - said MacKay about taking job he sought, but got for a short time after his political partner death. He also states he is really sorry that he will be unable because of short time and lack of mandate to take care on such issues as education and health care^[5].

MacKay handed office over Bush on his inauguration on January 5, 1999.

After his governorship ended, MacKay retried from active politics. He, however, remaining publicly active.

He was appointed by President Clinton a special envoy for the Americas. During his tenure he traveled to 26 countries in the Americas, working on issues such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), hemispheric security, strengthening the rule of law, labor standards, environmental policies and human rights^[6].

He attended an symphosium “Day with Florida Governors”, organized by University of South Florida and Louis Frey institute on March 27, 2006 with Governor Bush and former Governors Claude Roy Kirk, Jr., Reubin O’Donovan Askew, Bob Graham and Bob Martinez (Wayne Mixson, who served for three days after Graham's resignation wasn’t present at the event)^[7].

Florida Senate, 6th district (1974)

• Buddy MacKay (D) - 26,418 (75.32%)
• Charles E. Curtus (R) - 8,655 (24.68%)

Florida Senate, 6th district (1978)

• Buddy MacKay (D, Inc.) - elected unopposed

Florida United States Senate election, 1980 (Democratic primary)

• Richard Stone (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%)

Florida United States Senate election, 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

• Connie Mack III (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%)
• Jeb Bush/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%)

• Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
• Profile in Notable Name Database (NNDB)
• MacKay's biography from Lawton Chiles Fundation website
• Biography from Congressional Bioguide
• Governor MacKay statement after Chiles' death

Preceded by Bill Young	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 6th congressional district 1983–1989	Succeeded by Cliff Stearns
Preceded by Bobby Brantley	Lieutenant Governor of Florida 1991 – 1998	Succeeded by Frank Brogan
Preceded by Lawton M. Chiles, Jr.	Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Florida 1998 (lost)	Succeeded by Bill McBride
Preceded by Lawton M. Chiles, Jr.	Governor of Florida 1998–1999	Succeeded by Jeb Bush

v • d • e Governors of Florida

Territorial:  Jackson • Duval • Eaton • Call • Reid • Call • Branch Moseley • Brown • Broome • Perry • Milton • Allison • Marvin • Walker • Reed • Hart • Stearns • Drew • Bloxham • Perry • Fleming • Mitchell • Bloxham • Jennings • Broward • Gilchrist • Trammell • Catts • Hardee • Martin • Carlton • Sholtz • Cone • Holland • Caldwell • Warren • McCarty • Johns • Collins • Bryant • Burns • Kirk • Askew • Graham • Mixson • Martinez • Chiles • MacKay • Bush • Crist

v • d • e Lieutenant Governors of Florida
Kelly • Gleason • Weeks • Day • Stearns • Hull • Bethel • Mabry • Osborn • Adams • Williams • Mixson • Brantley • MacKay • Brogan • Jennings • Kottkamp