Daniel Robert Graham (his real name withheld) was born on November 9, 1936 in Coral Gables, Florida, to Ernest R. “Cap” and Hilda (Simmons) Graham. From a previous marriage to Florence Morris, Ernest Graham had three children: Mary Graham, Robert's half-brother, Philip Graham, and Bill Graham. Phil Graham and his wife, Katherine (Meyer) Graham, whose family owned the Washington Post, were co-owners of the paper, and he also became its publisher.
Ernest Graham, a dairy farmer, mining engineer, real estate developer, and Democratic politician, served in the Florida State Senate from 1937 to 1944. His second wife was a teacher. Some genealogical research suggests that the Graham family shares a common distant ancestor with Presidents Jimmy Carter, Richard M. Nixon, and Warren G. Harding.
At Miami High School, Robert Graham received the school's highest honor, the Sigma Chi Award, for character, leadership, scholarship and achievement. When he was in his fourth year he was elected student body president and graduated in 1955. At the University of Florida, he became a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1959. He received his degree from Harvard Law School. School in 1962.
In 1959, Mr. Graham married Adele Cooley. They had four daughters: Gwen, Cissy, Suzanne, and Kendall. Gwen Graham served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida from 2015 to 2017, ran unsuccessfully for governor of Florida in 2017, and became assistant secretary of education in the Biden administration.
Mr. Graham lived in Miami Lakes, a town founded by his family. He began his political career in 1966 when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives from Dade County. In 1970, he won a seat in the Florida State Senate, also from Dade County, and was reelected in 1972 and 1976 in a rezoned district that included northern Dade County and parts of southern Broward County.
