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Buddy MacKay
United States Special Envoy for the Americas
In office March 5, 1999 – January 20, 2001
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Mack McLarty
Succeeded by	Otto Reich
42nd Governor of Florida
In office December 12, 1998 – January 5, 1999
Lieutenant	Vacant
Preceded by	Lawton Chiles
Succeeded by	Jeb Bush
14th Lieutenant Governor of Florida
In office January 8, 1991 – December 12, 1998
Governor	Lawton Chiles
Preceded by	Bobby Brantley
Succeeded by	Frank Brogan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 6th district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1989
Preceded by	Bill Young
Succeeded by	Cliff Stearns
Member of the Florida Senate from the 6th district
In office November 5, 1974 – November 4, 1980
Preceded by	Jim Williams
Succeeded by	George G. Kirkpatrick Jr.
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
In office November 5, 1968 – November 5, 1974
Preceded by	Bill Chappell
Succeeded by	Wayne C. McCall
Constituency	30th district (1968-1972) 32nd district (1972-1974)
Personal details
Born	Kenneth Hood MacKay Jr. (1933-03-22) March 22, 1933 (age 91) Ocala, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Anne Selph ​(m. 1960)​
Children	4 sons
Education	University of Florida (BS, BA, LLB)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	1955–1958
Rank	Captain

Kenneth Hood "Buddy" MacKay Jr. (born March 22, 1933) is an American politician and diplomat from Florida. A Democrat, he served for 24 days as the 42nd Governor of Florida following the death of Lawton Chiles on December 12, 1998. During his long public service career he was also a state legislator, a U.S. Representative, lieutenant governor, and special envoy of President Bill Clinton's administration for the Americas. As of 2025, he is the last Democrat to serve as Governor or Lieutenant Governor of Florida.

Early life

MacKay was born to a citrus-farming family in Ocala, Florida, the son of Julia Elizabeth (Farnum) and Kenneth Hood MacKay. He served in the United States Air Force during the 1950s, and then attended the University of Florida, where he was tapped into Florida Blue Key and eventually received a law degree. MacKay was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame (the most prestigious honor a student can receive from UF) and was a member of The Board. He married Anne Selph in 1960; the couple has four sons.

Political career

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 United States House of Representatives.

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.

Lieutenant governor

MacKay won the 1990 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor on the ticket headed by former U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles, who had held the Senate seat MacKay had unsuccessfully sought two years earlier. They won the election and were re-elected in 1994, the latter campaign being a close contest against the Republican ticket headed by Jeb Bush.

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. He was regarded as the most significant and powerful lieutenant governor in Florida's history.

MacKay was a strong supporter of the use of capital punishment, as Chiles was. When he was asked during the 1998 gubernatorial election campaign about his positions on use of 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." However he suggested that Florida should change its mode of execution after Pedro Medina's botched execution, saying: "The last thing we want to do is generate sympathy for these killers."

Gubernatorial candidate

In 1998 MacKay sought to succeed the term-limited Chiles as governor, easily winning the Democratic nomination with his full support (Chiles and MacKay were known for their friendly relationship). However, MacKay was soundly defeated by Republican nominee Jeb Bush, who had narrowly lost the 1994 contest.

Governor

Despite his defeat, MacKay became Chiles' successor when Chiles died unexpectedly on December 12, 1998. MacKay was at this time in Boston with his wife. When they returned to their hotel room, they found a message about Chiles' death, asking 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. the next day, the 65-year-old MacKay was sworn in as Florida's 42nd governor at his Capitol office for the 23 days remaining in Chiles' term.

"There's no great pleasure in this," said MacKay about taking a job he had sought, but got for a short time after his political partner's death. He also stated how sorry he was that he would be unable because of the short time and lack of mandate to take care of such issues as education and health care.

Despite keeping a low public profile during his time as governor, MacKay made at least 56 appointments to various boards and to various offices, including two judgeships. He granted six pardons to female prisoners and was involved in such issues as the negotiation plan for the Everglades, and moderated some other disputes. Perhaps his most visible act as governor was signing Peggy Quince's nomination to the Florida Supreme Court. Quince was Chiles' last pick for the bench and it fell to MacKay, and then Bush, to sustain her nomination.

MacKay was succeeded by Bush on January 5, 1999.

Diplomacy and later life

After his governorship ended, MacKay retired from active politics. He, however, remains publicly active.

He was appointed by President Clinton as a special envoy for the Americas, being the second person to hold this position. 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.

He attended a “Day with Florida Governors” symposium, organized by the University of Central Florida and Louis Frey Institute on March 27, 2006 with Governor Bush and former governors Claude Roy Kirk Jr., Reubin Askew, Bob Graham and Bob Martinez (Wayne Mixson, who served for three days after Graham's resignation, wasn’t present).

MacKay's memoir about his political career, How Florida Happened, was published by the University Press of Florida in March 2010.

Electoral history

Florida Senate, 6th district (1974)

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

Florida Senate, 6th district (1978)

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

United States Senate election in Florida, 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%)

United States Senate election in Florida, 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%)

Source: Our Campaigns – Candidate – Kenneth "Buddy" MacKay Jr.

References

1. "Julia Farnum MacKay — Ocala, Fla".
2. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Lieutenant Governor Kenneth Hood (Buddy) MacKay and his wife Anne Selph MacKay". Florida Memory.
3. Contents: This Time the People Won Archived July 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ "State: MacKay steps into awkward 23 days".
5. "**Election '98: The road to November**".
6. "WORLD Magazine - Today's News, Christian Views".
7. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/09/us/1994-elections-nation-bushes-texas-elects-george-w-while-florida-rejects-jeb.html
8. Dunkelberger, Lloyd (1 January 1999). "MacKay Term Short But Active". The Gainesville Sun. pp. 1B, 5B.
9. The Americas Group
10. Video on YouTube

External links

• Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
• MacKay's biography from Lawton Chiles Foundation website
• Biography from Congressional Bioguide
• Governor MacKay statement after Chiles' death
• Appearances on C-SPAN

v t e Governors of Florida
Military (1821)	Jackson
Territorial (1822–1845)	Duval Eaton Call Reid Call Branch
State (since 1845)	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 Scott DeSantis

v t e Lieutenant governors of Florida
Kelly Gleason Weeks Day Stearns Hull Bethel Mabry Watson* Mikeson* Hull* Beth* Haris* Thompson* Mayo* Thompson* Thompson* Osborne Adams Williams Mixson Brantley MacKay Brogan Jennings Kottkamp Carroll Lopez-Cantera Nuñez
* acting

v t e Democratic Party nominees for governor of Florida (1953–)
McCarty Collins Bryant Burns High Askew Graham Pajcic Chiles MacKay McBride Davis Sink Crist Gillum Crist

v t e Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida
Territory Hernández Call White Downing Levy At-large Cabell Brockenbrough Cabell Maxwell Hawkins Hamilton Walls Niblack Purman and Walls (served concurrently) L'Engle Sears Green
1st district Purman Davidson Mallory Sparkman Drane Peterson McMullen Campbell Cramer Sikes Hutto Scarborough J. Miller Gaetz 2nd district Walls Finley Bisbee Finley Hull Bisbee Finley Bisbee Dougherty Bullock Cooper R. Davis Clark Green Price Bennett Fuqua Grant Peterson Boyd Southerland Graham Dunn 3rd district Lamar Mays E. Wilson Kehoe Smithwick Yon Caldwell Sikes Pepper Bennett Brown Yoho Cammack 4th district Sears Owen Wilcox Cannon Smathers Lantaff Fascell Herlong Chappell James Fowler Crenshaw Rutherford Bean 5th district Hendricks Herlong Gurney Frey Gunter Kelly McCollum Thurman Brown-Waite Nugent Brown Lawson Rutherford 6th district D. Rogers P. Rogers Gibbons Young MacKay Stearns DeSantis Waltz 7th district Haley Gibbons J. Mica S. Murphy Mills 8th district Matthews Cramer Young Haley Ireland Young McCollum Keller Grayson Webster Posey Haridopolos 9th district Fuqua P. Rogers Frey Nelson M. Bilirakis G. Bilirakis Grayson Soto 10th district Gibbons Burke Bafalis Ireland Young Webster Demings Frost 11th district Gurney Pepper P. Rogers D. Mica Nelson Bacchus Gibbons J. Davis Castor Nugent Webster 12th district Cramer Fascell Burke Stack Shaw Lewis Canady Putnam Ross Bilirakis 13th district Lehman Mack III Goss D. Miller Harris Buchanan Young Jolly Crist Luna 14th district Pepper D. Mica Johnston Goss Mack IV Castor 15th district Fascell Shaw Bacchus Weldon Posey Ross Spano Franklin Lee 16th district Smith Lewis Foley Mahoney T. Rooney Buchanan 17th district Lehman C. Meek K. Meek Wilson T. Rooney Steube 18th district Pepper Ros-Lehtinen P. Murphy Mast Franklin 19th district Fascell Johnston Wexler Deutch Radel Clawson F. Rooney Donalds 20th district Deutsch Wasserman Schultz Hastings Cherfilus-McCormick 21st district L. Díaz-Balart M. Díaz-Balart Deutch Frankel Mast 22nd district Shaw Klein West Frankel Deutch Frankel 23rd district Hastings Wasserman Schultz Moskowitz 24th district Feeney Kosmas Adams F. Wilson 25th district M. Díaz-Balart Rivera M. Díaz-Balart Wasserman Schultz 26th district Garcia Curbelo Mucarsel-Powell Giménez M. Díaz-Balart 27th district Ros-Lehtinen Shalala Salazar 28th district Giménez

• 1933 births
• American Presbyterians
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
• Democratic Party state governors of the United States
• Florida Democrats
• Florida state senators
• Governors of Florida
• Lieutenant Governors of Florida
• Living people
• Members of the Florida House of Representatives
• Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
• Military personnel from Florida
• Politicians from Ocala, Florida
• United States Air Force officers
• University of Florida alumni
• Writers from Florida
• 20th-century American politicians
• Fredric G. Levin College of Law alumni