William D. Gunter Jr.: National FFA President 1954–55
Florida · No. 28 of 100 · National FFA President 1954–55
At a Glance
- Office: National FFA President, 1954–55 (No. 28 of 100)
- Born: July 16, 1934, in Jacksonville, Florida
- Died: April 8, 2024, in Tallahassee, at age 89
- Education: University of Florida (B.S. in agriculture); U.S. Army service, 1957–58
- Public service: Florida Senate (1966–72); U.S. House of Representatives (1973–75); Florida Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal (1976–89)
- Honors: Florida FFA Hall of Fame; the Bill Gunter FFA Scholars Endowment at the University of Florida
Bill Gunter is the most politically prominent National FFA president of the 1950s other than Doyle Conner, another Floridian. He went from the national presidency to the Florida Senate, the U.S. House and a dozen years as one of the most visible statewide officials in Florida. He died in 2024.
The FFA Year
According to his obituary, Gunter was elected National FFA President while he was in college. His term included travel around the country and in Europe, and it culminated in a meeting with President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Oval Office. The national officers of that era made an extended goodwill tour each year, and the 1953 National FFA Convention, held the year before his election, had featured Eisenhower as the first sitting president to address an FFA convention.
University of Florida
Gunter earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture at the University of Florida. His obituary says that on campus he was majority whip of the student legislature, managing editor of the student newspaper The Florida Alligator and president of the Baptist Student Union, and that he was selected for Florida Blue Key and the UF Hall of Fame. After college he served in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1958.
Public Career
Florida Senate, 1966–72
Gunter was elected to the Florida Senate from the Orlando-area 18th district and served from November 1966 to November 1972. His obituary credits him with sponsoring the 1967 “Disney Bill” and with being an early supporter of the founding and growth of Florida Technological University, now the University of Central Florida.
U.S. House of Representatives, 1973–75
He served one term in Congress representing Florida’s 5th district from January 1973 to January 1975. The official congressional biography describes him as a businessman and agriculturist who had been National President of the Future Farmers of America.
Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal
Gunter won statewide election as Florida’s Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal and held the office from November 9, 1976, to January 3, 1989. He was president of the National Association of State Treasurers in 1981 and of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 1983. In 1988 the National Insurance Consumers Organization named him the most effective insurance commissioner in the United States.
1980 U.S. Senate race
As the Democratic nominee in 1980, Gunter ran for the U.S. Senate and lost to Republican Paula Hawkins, 51.7 percent to 48.3 percent.
Later Business Career
In 1989 Gunter joined what became Rogers Gunter Vaughn Insurance in Tallahassee as a partner. He later served at different times as president, chief executive and chairman of the board, until his retirement.
Recognition and Legacy
Gunter is a member of the Florida FFA Hall of Fame, which was formed in 2007. The University of Florida’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences administers the Bill Gunter FFA Scholars Endowment, which supports students who are former FFA members, with a preference for those who served as state or national FFA officers.
Why His Story Matters
Gunter’s career is the clearest example from the 1950s of how FFA leadership can lead into elected politics. Fellow Floridians on this site’s list include Doyle Conner (1948–49), who became Commissioner of Agriculture, and J. Lester Poucher (1937–38) and Victor Butler Jr. (1961–62).
Next: Daniel Dunham, 1955–56 →
Sources
- Suwannee Valley Times: Obituary for Bill Gunter (April 2024)
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress (via Legilist): Bill Gunter
- Wikipedia: Bill Gunter (pointer for dates and offices)
- University of Florida Foundation: Bill Gunter FFA Scholars Endowment
- Florida FFA Foundation: Florida FFA Hall of Fame
- The Friday Footnote: U.S. Presidents and FFA conventions