DIVORCE PAPERS SHOW A WAYWARD GALLAGHER

A somber Tom Gallagher apologized Monday for his "poor choices" 28
years ago, including smoking marijuana and acting badly during his
first marriage.

Gallagher, Florida's chief financial officer and a GOP candidate for
governor, was joined by his wife, Laura, during a 30-minute
conference call with reporters. The campaign also provided court
documents from the 1979 divorce that ended Gallagher's first marriage.

In one of those documents, a legislative aide testifies that she
"began to date" Gallagher, then a state representative, in June 1978.
The woman said she was living in a condominium then owned by
Gallagher. His wife at the time, Anne Louise, found out and filed for divorce.

The decision to speak about those events came after Gallagher's
gubernatorial campaign was contacted by The Tampa Tribune for a story
about them.

Gallagher, now 62, remarried in 1998 and has a 7-year-old son from
that marriage.

In his bid to win the Republican primary in which he faces Attorney
General Charlie Crist, Gallagher has portrayed himself as a deeply
religious family man and a social conservative.

He acknowledged Monday that he was not always so family-oriented but
says that changed with his marriage to Laura and the birth of their
son. He said his wife knew about his past before they married, and
she said Monday, "He's a good man. He's a good father."

Gallagher said the most difficult part of talking publicly about the
past was telling his son, Charlie.

"I told him that Dad has done some things that are wrong," said
Gallagher. He said he told Charlie that there were things he was "not
very proud of and very sorry for doing them."

Gallagher said Monday he used marijuana more than 25 years ago but
did not sell the drug or use any other drug. In the court documents
provided by Gallagher's campaign, the woman with whom Gallagher had
an affair declined to answer questions from his wife's lawyer about
whether he ever used or sold marijuana.

Gallagher did not directly answer a question about how his affair
might affect his campaign.

"The documents speak for themselves," Gallagher said. "I made
mistakes that I regret in my first marriage. The divorce was a result
of my actions, certainly not hers, and I take full responsibility for
that marriage and I'm disappointed in myself that I hurt people that
I cared about."

The court divorce documents suggest that Tom and Anne Louise
Gallagher, who did not have children, ended their 10-year marriage
with an unpleasant divorce.

He showed up at the marital home to try to take the family dog,
according to the court documents. That led to a shattered screen door
and threats of a restraining order. Gallagher also was accused of
trying to take the car his soon-to-be ex was using.

A Dade County judge, who is not identified in the court documents,
admonished Gallagher and gave him a prophetic warning.

"You're a public figure. You don't need any adverse publicity," the judge said.

"Yes sir," Gallagher said.

Later the judge said if he was compelled to write a court order, it
would create a "public record that could be used adversely against
you in the future in one of your future campaigns."

"Yes sir."

"So do you read me?"

"Yes sir."