Bob Sikes
Bob Sikes | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida | |
| In office January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Himself |
| Succeeded by | Earl Hutto |
| Constituency | 3rd district (1945–1963) 1st district (1963–1979) |
| In office January 3, 1941 – October 19, 1944 | |
| Preceded by | Millard Caldwell |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Constituency | 3rd district |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office 1937–1941 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Lee Fulton Sikes June 3, 1906 Isabella Station, Georgia, U.S. (now Sylvester) |
| Died | September 28, 1994 (aged 88) Crestview, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Mildred Tyner
(m. 1949; div. 1983)Joan Thomas Dunning
(m. 1983–1994) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Georgia (BS) University of Florida (MS) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | U.S. Army Air Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Robert Lee Fulton Sikes (June 3, 1906 – September 28, 1994) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who represented the Florida Panhandle in the United States House of Representatives from 1941 to 1979, with a brief break in 1944 and 1945 for service during World War II.
During his tenure in Congress, Sikes supported racial segregation in the United States. He served during a long period in which Florida was effectively a one-party state dominated by Democrats, due to disfranchisement of African Americans by racist policies and Jim Crow laws.
In 1975, Sikes was accused by Common Cause of financial misconduct and was investigated and censured by the House in 1976. He did not seek re-election in 1978.