Andy Ireland obit

Andy Ireland, former US House member for Polk County, dies at 94

 

He was not on the list.

Andy Ireland, whose party switch as a member of Congress foretold the future dominance of the Republican Party in Polk County, has died at 94.

Ireland served eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993. Originally elected as a Democrat, he changed his affiliation to Republican in 1984, at a time when Polk County had no Republicans holding any state or federal positions.

An Ohio native, Ireland earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a graduate degree in banking from Louisiana State University, according to his obituary. He came to Florida to take a position with Barnett Bank in Jacksonville and rose to became its vice president.

Ireland moved to Polk County in 1962, when he was named chairman and CEO of American National Bank in Winter Haven. As the bank expanded, he was appointed to serve on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Ireland’s political career began with his election to the Winter Haven City Commission in 1966. He and others successfully wooed the Boston Red Sox to switch their spring training site to Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, where they trained from 1966 to 1992.

In 1976, Ireland first ran for the U.S. House, easily defeating Republican Bob Johnson to win the seat for the 8th District. At the time, Ireland described himself as a “Yellow Dog Democrat,” one who was steadfastly loyal to the party, recalled Jean Burt of Lakeland, the former chair of the Polk County Republican Executive Committee.

But Ireland was a conservative Democrat, in an era when such politicians were much more common, and after four terms in Congress he announced his switch to the Republican Party. Bill Rufty, the retired political editor for The Ledger, praised Ireland for the timing of his announcement.

“One of the things that a lot of party-switchers do is they wait until after the election, so that they can't be voted out,” Rufty said. “But Andy was so honest about it that he went ahead and announced his party switch from Democrat to Republican a few months before the elections.”

Rufty recalled a prominent Republican in Congress labeling Ireland “a class act” for the way he handled the party change.

Ireland decisively won another term in 1984 after redistricting placed him in the 10th District.

“It really started the wheels rolling toward Polk County becoming a viable Republican Party,” said Burt, who served as local Republican Party chair from 1983 to 1988. “It was not an easy decision for him to make. You have to remember that at the time, there was not a single elected Republican in Polk County, and so imagine the risk that he took, leaving the majority party.”

At that time, 74% of Polk County voters were registered as Democrats, Burt said. Capitalizing on Ireland’s move, Burt soon persuaded 1,000 local voters to change from Democrat to Republican.

“He just felt that he was a conservative and that the Democratic Party was not putting forward the things that he believed in,” Burt said. “And he said, ‘I'm conservative, and I'm in a liberal party, and I've got to be true to myself, and I'm going to go where my heart leads me.’ ”

Though it did not happen instantly, the political cast of Polk County gradually changed. Today, 41% of the county’s registered voters are Republicans, compared with 30% Democrats and 29% other parties or no party. The only Democrat holding state or federal office is U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, whose district contains a small portion of east Polk County.

Burt recalled assisting Ireland with his election campaigns after his party switch, along with one of his staff members, Glenda Wright.

“Glenda used to come to my house, and we would sit there for hours putting stamps on envelopes and stuffing envelopes and getting them mailed out,” Burt said. “He didn't have the money to spend on doing a lot of clerical work like that. And when he had to have a reception, Glenda and I would put on our aprons and we'd take care of things like that for him. Times were very different.”

While in Congress, Ireland served on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Small Business, Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, according to his obituary. President Ronald Reagan appointed him in 1981 as one of two Congressional representatives to the United States mission to the General Session of the United Nations.

Rufty, who joined The Ledger in 1985, said that Ireland maintained a cordial relationship with reporters.

“He was pretty straightforward, and I guess that is hard, sometimes, for a journalist to say that, because we have to deal with so many people,” Rufty said. “But running across someone who would give you answers to tough questions — and that would be whether it was going to be popular, or whether it's something that may go against the grain — I found that he gave answers very clearly.”

In addition to their political connections, Jean Burt said that Ireland and her husband were fraternal brothers in a social organization.

“I just can't say enough about what a wonderful person he was,” Burt said.

Ireland opted not to seek a 10th term in 1992. Having forged connections with Feld Entertainment, which operated circuses, in retirement Ireland supported the construction of the Center for Elephant Conservation in the Polk City area.

Ireland and his wife, Nancy Haydock Ireland, moved to Boca Grande, near Fort Myers. In retirement, Ireland became a trustee for Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium and served on several other boards, his obituary said.

Ireland is survived by his wife of 43 years, four children, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life service will be held Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. at Christ Community Church, 1895 Overlook Drive, in Winter Haven.