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 Speaker (politics), 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 constitut ...

. 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 United States census, 2020 census. The origin of the city's name is disputed. Starke may have been named in honor of local la ...

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 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times ...

, 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, 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 university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

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 Alpha Gamma Rho (; commonly known as AGR or The Rho) is an American social and professional agriculture-focused fraternity. It was established at Ohio State University in 1904. History Alpha Gamma Rho considers the Morrill Act of 1862 to be the ...

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. 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 citri''. Infection causes lesions on the leaves, stems, and fruit of citrus trees, including lime, oranges, and grapefruit. While not harmful to huma ...

disease and Florida citrus nurseries. While serving in this post he served under 7 Governors of Florida. 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 and the county seat of Jefferson County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Monticello, the estate of the county's namesake, Thomas Jefferson, on which the Jefferson County Courthouse was modeled. ...

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 20th-century members of the Florida Legislature