Clayton Rudabaugh

Clayton William Rudabaugh (March 27th, 1918 -- February 12th, 1996) was an officer in the U.S. Navy and a U.S. Represenative from Florida from 1962 to 1979.

Early Life and Naval Career
Rudabaugh was born in Jacksonville, Florida and grew up in the nearby rural community of Whittel. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy as a member of the Class of 1940.

Rudabaugh served with distinction in World War II, receiving the Bronze Star among other combat decorations. During the war, he participated in twelve combat submarine patrols and as an aide to Admiral Simon Benjamin. It was while serving with Benjamin that Rudabaugh first met and befriended another young naval officer, future U.S. President Carl Shelby.

Rudabugh quickly became known as a protegee of Benjamin's. In 1951, Benjamin selected the 33 year-old Rudabaugh to serve as the first commander of the U.S.S. Nemo, the first nuclear submarine to be put into service. Rudabaugh served in this position until retiring from active service in 1959.

Rudabaugh received national attention in 1958 when the Nemo became the first submarine to sail succesfully under the polar ice cap surrounding the North Pole. This mission was specifically ordered by President George Milton and Rudabaugh was awarded the Legion of Merit for his role.

Author
In 1960, after retiring from active duty, Rudabaugh wrote his memoirs. Titled Nemo North, the book was a best seller and was made into a movie in 1962. In the film, Rudabaugh was played by Troy Donahue.

The book was given a second printing in 1972 when Rudabaugh was briefly a presidential candidate. During the Florida primary campaign, the Tallahassee Sun ran a story alleging that the book was actually ghost written by James Michener. Rudabaugh originally denied the report. However, shortly after leaving office in 1979, Rudabaugh acknowledged that the story was "essentially accurate."

The first edition of Nemo North was dedicated to Rudabaugh's wartime friend, future president Carl Shelby. Later editions omitted this dedication. As a result, a 1st edition of Nemo North has become a much sought after book amongst collectors.

Political Career
A lifelong Democrat, Rudabaugh was a Florida delegate to the 1960 Democratic Convention. He was pledged to (and voted for) then-Sen. Augustus Anderson. During the general election, Rudabaugh campaigned for the Fitzpatrick/Anderson ticket in Florida.

Having retired to Pensacola, Florida, Rudabaugh was recruited by Vice President Anderson to challenge U.S. Rep. Ralph DeLaTroy in the 1962 Democratic primary. DeLaTroy, who had represented Florida's 1st Congressional District for the past 30 years, was considered to be a prominent opponent of the Fitzpatrick administration. It was felt that only a national hero like Rudabaugh would have a chance to defeating DeLaTroy.

Running as a moderately conservative Democrat, Rudabaugh defeated DeLaTroy in the primary with 59% of the vote. He went on to win the general election with 72% of the vote. From 1966 to 1976, Rudabaugh would be consistently reelected to the U.S. House. In that time, his lowest vote total was 62% in 1968. His biggest victory came in 1974 when he was reelected with 89% of the vote over Republican Matthew Goodman.

During his first few terms in office, Rudabaugh's voting record was slightly more liberal than expected but, on the whole, he was considered to be a conservative Democrat. He was also known as being one of President Anderson's favorite congressmen and often attended meetings at the White House with more senior elected officials.

Rudabaugh shocked many political observers when, in 1969, he came out strongly against the Viet Nam War. At the time, Rudabaugh said that he had been opposed to the war from the beginning but that he expressed his views to Anderson several times. He said he had declined to go public with his opposition out of a desire not to embarrass President Anderson.

Following his announcement, Rudabaugh's voting record steadily become more liberal until, during his final term in 1978, Rudabaugh was rated as being the most liberal member of Florida's congressional delegation.

In 1972, Rudabaugh was briefly considered as a running mate on the presidential ticket headed by Sen. Sam White. However, Rudabaugh's name was apparently dismissed rather quickly by the White campaign who felt that, despite his status as an anti-war spokesman, Rudabugh was too closely associated with former President Anderson.

In 1975, Rudabaugh was the first member of the U.S. House to officially endorse the dark horse presidential campaign of his old friend (and the former Governor of Mississippi) Carl Shelby. When Shelby won the Democratic nomination in 1976, Rudabaugh was again considered for the vice presidency. (Sources vary on just how seriously he was considered.)

After Shelby's election, Rudabaugh was frequently identified as being the new president's "best friend in Congress." This, however, would prove to be a liability in 1978 when Rudabaugh ran for a 9th term. His Republican opponent, Gary Boothe, frequently linked Rudabaugh to Shelby's unpopular administration and, in something of an upset, Rudabaugh was narrowly defeated for reelection.

1972 Presidential Campaign
Following his denouncement of the Viet Nam War in 1969, Rudabaugh was occasionally mentioned as a possible candidate for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination. Some felt that his military background and then-moderate record would give him an appeal to voters who might otherwise not be willing to support an anti-war candidate.

In December of 1971, Rudabaugh announced that he would allow his name to be entered into a few Democratic primaries as an anti-war alternative to liberals like U.S. Sen. Sam White, New York Mayor Vincent Van Hensckler, and Thomas Delahunt. While he never formally announced that he was a candidate, Rudabaugh's name appeared on primary ballots in both New Hampshire and his home state of Florida and Rudabaugh did actively campaign in both states.

As an anti-war candidate, Rudabaugh never managed to emerge from the shadow (or match the fund-raising powress) of Sam White. As a "conservative," Rudabaugh was equally overshadowed by the campaign of Arkansas Governor Archie Fowler.

He received only a handful of votes in New Hampshire and failed to be a significant factor even in his homestate of Florida. In Florida, Rudabaugh played down his anti-war stance and instead emphasized his opposition to forced busing. Rudabaugh attempted to present himself as "Archie Fowler Without the Racism." Regardless, Fowler still won the Florida primary and Rudabaugh finished in the sixth place with barely 9% of the vote.

Following this showing, Rudabaugh announced that he would not be a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972. While declining to denounce Gov. Fowler, Rudabaugh did officially endorse Sam White and declined to be a part of the Anybody But White coalition at the 1972 Democratic convention.

Out Of Office
In 1979, President Carl Shelby named Rudabaugh Secretary of the Navy. He was easily confirmed by the U.S. Senate and served in the position until 1981.

In 1982, Rudabaugh was briefly a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Florida Governor. However, citing anemic fundraising, he withdrew from the race after only two months.

Following his aborted campaign for governor, Rudabaugh retired from public life and returned to Pensacola. He sat on the board of several civic institutions and, in general, declined to comment on current political events.

In 1990, Rudabaugh briefly made headlines when he filed for bankruptcy. He blamed this one poor investment advice that he had received after leaving the U.S. House.

In 1996, the 77 year-old Rudabaugh died while undergoing open heart surgery in Miami.

Personal Life
Rudabaugh was a United Methodist and spoke fluent German, French, and Spanish.

Rudabaugh married the former Pamela Haynes in 1945. They had three sons -- Simon (born in 1946, died in an automotive accident in 1969), Harmon (born in 1949, died of a drug overdose in 1980), and Robert (born in 1953, committed suicide in 1989). A daughter, named Shelby, was born in 1958 while Rudabaugh navigating the North Pole.

Clayton and Pamela Rudabaugh divorced in 1990. Rudabaugh subsequently married the Cuban-born Silvia Martinez. At the time, Rudabaugh was 72. Martinez was 23. Silvia Martinez-Rudabaugh was elected (as a Republican) to the Florida House of Represenatives in 2002 and served until 2009. After one term spent out of office, she was subsequently returned to the legislature in 2010.