Funeral services announced for Bob Graham, former Florida governor and US senator

Bob Graham, a two-term Florida governor who went on to serve in the U.S. Senate, will lie in state at the Historic Capitol Museum on Friday, April 26.

A public viewing for Graham, who was 87 when he died Tuesday, will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to Bevis Funeral Home in Tallahassee. A private graveside service is expected later in the day at Oakland Cemetery in Tallahassee, which is just west of the governor’s mansion.

Graham, a Democrat, served as governor from 1979 to 1987, spent three terms in the U.S. Senate, and was one of the most popular figures in Florida politics over the past half-century.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced that flags would be lowered to half-staff at all local and state buildings, installations, and grounds throughout Florida. DeSantis called Graham “a great Floridian” who “served this state with honor and integrity and really made a great contribution.”

Lowering of flags in Graham’s honor would be “very much appropriate,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “We’re really thankful for his service,” DeSantis added. “And he served very, very ably for this state for many, many years.”

Graham was known to many Floridians for his down-to-earth persona that included work days in which he joined people in their jobs.

“While he valued his opportunities to represent others in public office, the jobs Bob Graham most loved were those he spent working alongside everyday Floridians,” Graham’s family said in a statement announcing his death Tuesday. “His more than 400 workdays, in occupations ranging from construction to farming to hospitality, created wonderful friendships across the state and forever changed his perspective on Florida and his approach to public service.”