George Firestone: Difference between revisions

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = George Firestone

| governor = [[Bob Graham]]

| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]

| termend1 = 1978

| termstart1 = 1972

| office1 = Member of the [[Florida Senate]]

| termend2 = 1972

| termstart2 = 1966

| office2 = Member of the [[Florida House of Representatives]]

| successor2 = [[Carey Matthews]]

| successor = [[James C. Smith (politician)|James C. Smith]]

| birth_date = May 13, 1931

| predecessor = [[Jesse J. McCrary, Jr.]]

| termend = August 5, 1987

| termstart = 1979

| office = 20th [[Secretary of State of Florida]]

| image = George Firestone.jpg

| death_place = [[Hollywood, Florida]], U.S.

| birth_place = [[New York City, New York]], U.S.

| death_date = March 2, 2012 (aged 80)

| branch = {{Army|United States}}

}}

'''George Firestone''' (May 13, 1931 – March 2, 2012) was an American politician and businessman from the [[U.S. state]] of [[Florida]]. A [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], he served as the 20th [[Secretary of State of Florida|Florida Secretary of State]] from 1979 to 1987.

== Early life ==

Firestone was born in [[New York City]] in 1931. He moved to [[Miami, Florida]] with his family as a child in 1936. Firestone served in the [[United States Army]] and was [[Military discharge|honorably discharged]] in 1952.<ref>{{Cite web|title=George Firestone - Division of Cultural Affairs - Florida Department of State|url=https://dos.myflorida.com/cultural/programs/florida-artists-hall-of-fame/george-firestone/|website=dos.myflorida.com|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref>

== Career ==

After leaving the Army, Firestone returned to Miami, where he established a security firm and cleaning business.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Former Florida Secretary of State Firestone dies|url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/article/20120303/NEWS/812037145|last=TEPROFF|first=CARLI|website=The Palm Beach Post|language=en|access-date=2020-05-01|archive-date=2020-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205011132/https://www.palmbeachpost.com/article/20120303/NEWS/812037145|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Firestone was elected to the [[Florida House of Representatives]] from [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Dade]] and [[Monroe County, Florida|Monroe]] counties in 1966. He was elected to the [[Florida Senate]] in 1972, where he served until 1978.<ref name="MH" /> He was elected [[Secretary of State of Florida]] in 1978 and was reelected twice, serving until he resigned on August 5, 1987.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DL9OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4vsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1791,2826028&dq=george+firestone+resigned&hl=en Firestone resigns; Smith takes place]</ref>

He used the Secretary of State's position as chief cultural officer to promoted the arts, He also helped update the [[Seal of Florida|Florida seal]] to include the ''[[Sabal palmetto|sabal palm]]''. During his tenure, he also traveled a great deal to promote foreign investment in Florida, and was a supporter for Free Trade Zones in the state.

== Personal life ==

Later in life, he was diagnosed with [[Alzheimer's disease]]. On March 2, 2012, he died in a [[Hollywood, Florida]] [[assisted living facility]] at the age of 80.<ref name= "MH">{{cite web |url= http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/02/2671649/former-florida-secretary-of-state.html |title= Former Florida Secretary of State George Firestone dies |author= Teproff, Carli |date= March 2, 2012 |work= [[The Miami Herald]] |accessdate= March 3, 2012}}</ref>

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{{succession box | title=[[Secretary of State of Florida]] | before=[[Jesse J. McCrary, Jr.]] | after=[[James C. Smith (politician)|James C. Smith]]| years= 1979&ndash;1987 }}

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{{Secretaries of State of Florida}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Democratic Party Florida state senators]]

[[Category:Jewish American state legislators in Florida]]

[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives]]

[[Category:Politicians from New York City]]

[[Category:Politicians from Miami]]

[[Category:Deaths from dementia in Florida]]

[[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Florida]]

[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]

[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]