Irlo Overstreet Bronson Sr. (August 3, 1900 – March 3, 1973) was an American Democratic politician, rancher and land owner in the state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Bronson is perhaps best known for selling land to Walt Disney as part of the construction of Florida's

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

Biography

Bronson was born into a prominent cattle ranching family in 1900 in

Kissimmee Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a principal city of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

to parents George Cephus and Spicey Vianna (Overstreet) Bronson. His maternal grandfather, Eleazar Lewis Daniel (E.L.D.) Overstreet, had previously served in the Florida House of Representatives. He married Flora Belle Bass, (September 21, 1906 – September 27, 1971) of Kissimmee, daughter of Walter ‘Mann’ Bass and Mary Nancy (Yates) Bass in

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city and the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, United States, west of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and north of St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies T ...

on June 22, 1924. Bronson was elected to the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

in 1942, in which he continued to serve, until his election to the

Florida State Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

in 1952. He served as speaker pro tempore in 1953. He was a member of the

Pork Chop Gang The Pork Chop Gang was a group of 20 Democratic Party legislators from rural areas of North Florida who worked together to dominate the Florida legislature, especially to maintain segregation and conserve the disproportionate political power of m ...

, a group of legislators from rural areas that dominated the state legislature due to malapportionment and used their power to engage in McCarthyist tactics. Bronson is perhaps best known as the owner of some land which

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

purchased that would later become part of the grounds of

. He sold it "without hesitation" for about . Though his family had thought he had given away the land for virtually nothing, it was said that Bronson envisioned "a future that included better career opportunities and incentives for young people to stay." He also was the founder and president of the Florida Cattlemen's Association from 1946 to 1950. A 1952 biography on Bronson described him as "an outstanding factor in the life of Osceola County and the state." Following his death in 1973, a large section of

U.S. Route 192 U.S. Route 192 (US 192) is an east–west route of the United States Numbered Highway system in central Florida. It runs from U.S. Route 27 ( State Road 25) in Four Corners, Lake County, east past Walt Disney World and through Kissimmee, ...

, including the section leading to the entrance of Walt Disney World, was named the Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in his memory. He was inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1981, and the Mid-Florida Business Hall of Fame on November 14, 1985. His son, Irlo "Bud" Bronson Jr. served originally as a Democrat, later as a Republican, Florida State Representative from District 79, having been initially elected in 1982.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bronson, Irlo Overstreet Sr. Businesspeople from Florida People from Kissimmee, Florida Florida state senators Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives 1900 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople Pork Chop Gang 20th-century members of the Florida Legislature