Jack Gordon

Jack Gordon, known as "the unabashedly liberal conscience of Florida's State Senate," was a unique combination of scholar, wit and idealist as well as a remarkably effective practical politician. His stands should have made him anathema to the Florida legislature of the 1970s and '80s, still dominated by good ol' boys: Gordon opposed the death penalty, favored the Equal Rights Amendment and legalizing marijuana, and was a longtime champion of civil rights and school integration.

Instead, Gordon was chosen majority leader by his colleagues, who respected his fairness, his civility and his legislative wiliness. That he also happened to be a successful banker gave him street cred with conservatives. Gordon was rather fond of many of the more colorful specimens of good ol' boy with whom he served, and he was skillful at finding common ground with them. He was a natural teacher and believed part of his job was to use debate to elucidate issues, to encourage problem-solving. As a result, his rich legacy includes one of the most advanced amendments on privacy rights in any state Constitution as well as Florida's homestead property-tax exemption. He outlawed discrimination at country clubs and championed education. "The Gordon Rule," which requires more math and writing courses, raises the skill level of Florida college students. He was the kind of legislator who devoted time to thankless tasks like reorganizing the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and creating the Department of Corrections, grunt work that makes an enormous difference in the lives of people with no power.

Gordon's politics were always progressive, and he fondly recalled the furious debates at the Miami Beach chess club, where old Bolsheviks and old Mensheviks still went after one another. He was a friend and business partner of the great Florida populist Claude Pepper; after Pepper's death Gordon briefly considered a run for his Congressional seat. Although he was a brilliant politician, he was constitutionally incapable of dishonesty. The campaign consultants decided he would make a terrible candidate.

Subscriber Login

User Name

Password

Subscribe Now!

The only way to read this article and the full contents of each week's issue of The Nation online is by subscribing to the magazine. Subscribe now and read this article -- and every article published since for the past five years -- right now.

There's no obligation -- try The Nation for four weeks free.

• Get The Nation at home (and online!) for 68 cents a week!
• If you like this article, consider making a donation to The Nation.
• Reprint this article. Click here for rights and information.