2013 Samuel Proctor Award Winner

Lawton Chiles was one of the most inspirational and influential politicians to come from Florida. His unique campaign style and passion for improving people s lives established a legacy that deserves recognition today. John Dos Passos Coggin conducted more than one hundred interviews with the friends, family, and co-workers of Lawton Chiles to create this definitive biography. Coggin s insightful writing based on extensive research illuminates both the political career and personal life of the fascinating Lawton Chiles. The Florida Historical Society Press is proud to publish this important work.

What people are saying about Walkin' Lawton

John Coggin has written a much needed book about one of the most progressive governors in Southern history. Lawton Chiles represented a part of Florida's heritage unknown to most tourists. He was the governor who modernized the state and gave its people a record on race relations, the economy, and education that they could be proud of.
--Howard Dean, Former Governor of Vermont and Chair of the DNC

John Dos Passos Coggin's Walkin' Lawton is a marvelous account of Florida's most colorful politician--Lawton Chiles--in full populist glory. It's an invaluable addition in U.S. political history. Highly recommended!
--Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University and author of Cronkite


I think the reader will discover insights into Florida politics on the ground in the 20th Century and how it was possible for a young state legislator with only 4 percent state-wide name recognition to win, in 1970, a state-wide race for Florida's U.S. Senate seat.
--Rhea Chiles, Former Florida First Lady