Clay Shaw (politician)
A steadfast Florida congressman who shaped welfare reform and survived political storms, including an infamous assassination investigation.
1939–2013 (age 74)·American politician·Birthday: April 19·The Silent Generation
Biography
Clay Shaw's life was one of quiet, effective public service that became forever linked to one of America's most seismic tragedies. A lawyer and judge by training, he first entered politics as the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, where he helped steer the city's growth. In 1980, he carried the Reagan wave into South Florida, winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives he would hold for 13 terms. In Washington, Shaw was a pragmatic, detail-oriented legislator, known for his expertise on welfare and Social Security. As Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee, he was a key architect of the 1996 welfare reform bill, a landmark and controversial piece of legislation. His legacy, however, is inextricably tied to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In 1969, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison charged Shaw with conspiracy in the assassination, a case widely derided as baseless and which resulted in a swift acquittal. Shaw bore the immense personal and professional cost of this notoriety with dignity, never allowing it to define his long career of substantive work in Congress, where he was respected as a gentleman and a principled conservative.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Clay was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clay Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Clay's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 40
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 50
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2013Died at 74
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Served 26 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida's 22nd and later 12th congressional districts.
- Was a principal author of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, transforming the U.S. welfare system.
- Served as Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee and later the Trade Subcommittee on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
- Previously served as Mayor of Fort Lauderdale from 1973 to 1975, presiding over a period of significant development.
Did You Know?
He was the only person ever prosecuted in connection with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and was acquitted in less than an hour.
He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the early 1960s.
His 2006 re-election defeat was his first loss after 13 consecutive victories to Congress.
The case against him was dramatized in Oliver Stone's film 'JFK,' where he was portrayed by actor Tommy Lee Jones.
“A city's budget is a moral document; it shows what you truly value.”
