Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. was born in Lakeland, Florida on April 3, 1930. He attended public schools, graduated from the University of Florida in 1952 and earned a law degree there in 1955. He served in the U.S. Army as an artillery officer during the Korean War. In 1955, he was admitted to the Florida Bar. Chiles served in the Florida House of Representatives, 1958-1966 and in the State Senate, 1966-1970. He became known as "Walkin Lawton" in 1970 after walking for 91 days and 1,003 miles across the state as a candidate for the U.S. Senate where he served for 18 years until 1989. He was elected Governor in 1990. Lawton Chiles was honored by many national and state organizations because of his commitment to children.