Victor Butler Jr.: National FFA President 1961–62
Florida · No. 35 of 100 · National FFA President 1961–62
At a Glance
- Office: National FFA President, 1961–62 (No. 35 of 100)
- Home state: Florida, with a hometown homecoming celebrated in Quincy
- Record on this page: His national term and the 1961 homecoming; later life is not documented in the sources found for this site
Victor Butler Jr. was elected National FFA President in October 1961. The State Archives of Florida preserves photographs of the homecoming celebrated for him in Quincy, in the Florida Panhandle, soon afterward. Those photographs, taken by Karl E. Holland, are among the few widely accessible records about his year.
The Quincy Homecoming, 1961
Florida Memory, the online collection of the State Library and Archives of Florida, holds images titled “Homecoming for Victor Butler, National President of the Future Farmers of America – Quincy, Florida.” One of them shows Thomas D. Bailey giving a speech in honor of the celebration. They indicate that Gadsden County and the Quincy community held a public reception for the new national president, the sort of event small farming towns held for national officers in that era.
Florida’s Place on the List
Butler is one of several Floridians on the list of National FFA presidents. Others include J. Lester Poucher (1937–38), Doyle Conner (1948–49), William D. Gunter Jr. (1954–55) and Clay Sapp (2012–13). Florida’s FFA association has a Hall of Fame, formed in 2007, that recognizes leaders who have served Florida FFA.
The Year in Context
- The national organization was about to see its one-millionth FFA jacket sold, in 1964.
- The first National Leadership Training Conference for state officers had begun in 1959, and the National FFA Center in Alexandria, Virginia, had been dedicated that year.
- The New Farmers of America, the parallel organization for Black students, would merge with FFA in 1965.
What the Record Does Not Show
The sources found for this site do not describe Butler’s education, career or later life. We would rather leave that blank than guess. Florida FFA records, the Quincy Times and the State Archives of Florida are the most likely places to find more, and we welcome documented additions.
Next: Kenny McMillan, 1962–63 →
Sources
- Florida Memory: Homecoming for Victor Butler, National President of the Future Farmers of America, Quincy, 1961
- Florida Memory: Thomas D. Bailey speaking at the Victor Butler homecoming
- Florida FFA Foundation: Florida FFA Hall of Fame
- National FFA Organization: FFA history timeline
- Official FFA Manual, Past National Presidents of FFA and NFA