Doyle Edward Conner Sr. (December 17, 1928 – December 16, 2012) was an American politician. He served as

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture The commissioner of agriculture is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Florida that heads the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Elected for a four-year mandate that is ...

for 30 years, and also served as

Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives The speaker is the presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitutional responsibilitie ...

. He was born in 1928 in

Starke, Florida Starke is a city in and the county seat of Bradford County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,796 at the 2020 census. The origin of the city's name is disputed. Starke may have been named in honor of local landowner George W. Cole's ...

Early life

Conner was a fourth generation Floridian. From an early age, he worked in the family business of raising cattle, growing strawberries, and cutting timber. As a young man, Conner was active in 4-H, serving as president of the local and Alachua County branches of the club. At the age of 14, while attending a Florida Cooperative Extension Service forestry camp at a 4-H facility, Conner met the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture

Nathan Mayo John Nathan Mayo (December 1876 – April 14, 1960) was an American agricultural and corrections administrator who served as the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture from 1923 to 1960. He was Florida's longest serving Agricultural Commissioner. ...

, and proclaimed that he would, some day, become Agriculture Commissioner when Mayo retired. In later life, Conner would remark that ''Without 4-H I would not be the person I am today, or have accomplished the things that I have.''

Education

Conner attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

from 1947 until 1952 graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture. While in college he was also a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. In addition, he served as National FFA President and was inducted in the Florida FFA Hall of Fame in 2007.

Political career

Conner served his entire political career as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1950, while he was still a student at the University of Florida. The feat earned Conner the nickname of "Boy Wonder", a label that stuck with him throughout his legislative career. Conner represented Bradford County while serving in the lower house. In 1958, at the age of 28, he was elected as the youngest Speaker of the House. On January 2, 1961, Doyle Conner was inaugurated as Commissioner of Agriculture, succeeding Lee Thompson who assumed the post of interim Commissioner upon Nathan Mayo's death in office. Conner went on to serve as Florida's Agriculture for the next 30 years. During his tenure as Commissioner, Conner oversaw efforts to eliminate the giant African snail, hog cholera, the Mediterranean fruit fly, and the cattle screwworm. During the 1980s, Conner was embroiled in political controversy regarding the lethal

citrus canker Citrus canker is a disease affecting ''Citrus'' species caused by the bacterium ''Xanthomonas'' (''X.axonopodis; X. campestris''). Infection causes lesions on the leaves, stems, and fruit of citrus trees, including lime, oranges, and grapefruit ...

disease and Florida citrus nurseries. While serving in this post he served under 7

Governors of Florida The governor of Florida is the head of government of the state of Florida and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Flori ...

. Conner retired in 1991, and was active in Florida 4-H for much of his remaining life. He was inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame in 1985, the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Florida 4-H Hall of Fame in 2002.

Death

Doyle Conner died at a nursing home in

Monticello, Florida Monticello ( ) is the only city in Jefferson County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,506 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County. The city is named after Monticello, the estate of the county's namesake, Thomas ...

on December 16, 2012, one day before his 84th birthday.

References

External links

Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conner, Doyle E. 1928 births 2012 deaths People from Starke, Florida Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni Florida Commissioners of Agriculture United States Foreign Service personnel