Vernon Howell: National FFA President 1932–33
Oklahoma · No. 5 of 100 · National FFA President 1932–33
At a Glance
- Office: National FFA President, 1932–33 (No. 5 of 100)
- Home state: Oklahoma, from Guymon in the Panhandle
- Earlier office: West vice president, Oklahoma FFA, 1931–32
- Distinction: The first Oklahoma Panhandle member to hold state FFA office, and the first Oklahoman to be National FFA President
Vernon Howell’s name stands near the top of Oklahoma’s long list of national FFA leaders. The Oklahoma Historical Society’s encyclopedia says that in 1932 he became the first of six Oklahomans, more than any other state, to serve as National FFA President during the twentieth century. This page presents what the public record says about him, which is mostly about his FFA years.
A Panhandle Pioneer
FFA’s own account of FFA history in the Oklahoma Panhandle describes C. Vernon Howell of Guymon as the first Panhandle member ever to hold state FFA office, serving as west vice president of the Oklahoma FFA in 1931–32. The next year he was elected National FFA President. The Panhandle, the long strip of western Oklahoma reaching toward Colorado and New Mexico, was then a remote and sparsely settled farming region, and the progression from local chapter member to national leader in only a few years remains notable.
The National Presidency, 1932–33
Howell led the organization during the depths of the Great Depression and in an era when FFA was only four years old. Several milestones from his years in the blue jacket bear on the organization he led:
- The National FFA Radio Program on NBC had been launched in 1931, giving national officers a regular way to speak to members.
- A charter was granted to the Puerto Rico FFA Association in 1932.
- The blue corduroy jacket, now the best-known symbol of the organization, was adopted as Official Dress in 1933.
What the Record Does Not Show
None of the sources found for this site describes Howell’s life after FFA, and this page does not guess. Local newspapers, Oklahoma FFA records and the proceedings of the national conventions in the early 1930s are the most likely places to find more, and we welcome documented additions.
Legacy
Howell was the first of what would become the most productive FFA state for national presidents. Oklahomans on this site’s list include Oliver Kinzie (1944–45), Walter Cummings (1950–51), Harry Birdwell (1969–70), C. James Bode Jr. (1976–77), Mark Herndon (1980–81), Travis Jett (2005–06), Riley Pagett (2010–11) and Trey Myers (2025–26).