The presidents of the Florida State Bar Association who shaped Florida’s legal legacy
These men were the architects of the profession, advocates for reform, and often national figures in the legal community
As The Florida Bar commemorates 75 years as an integrated, mandatory Bar, it’s worth pausing to recognize the remarkable legal minds who helped lay the foundation — not just through committee work and reform efforts, but through leadership.
Between 1907 and 1949, the Florida State Bar Association — the voluntary predecessor of today’s Florida Bar — was led by an extraordinary group of lawyers. Many were trailblazers of their time: state senators, Supreme Court justices, U.S. senators, judges, professors, war veterans, authors, civic leaders, and bar reformers. Their careers spanned disciplines, counties, and causes — and their collective impact continues to echo through Florida’s legal institutions today.
From the first president, Robert Lockridge Anderson of Ocala — who would later become a circuit judge — to Richard H. Hunt, the final president before integration, these leaders not only guided the voluntary Florida State Bar Association during its formative decades but also shaped the legal, political, and judicial evolution of a growing state. Many of their names still resonate today.
Some highlights:
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Nathan P. Bryan
Nathan P. Bryan (1916), a U.S. Senator and appellate judge, championed public higher education and laid the groundwork for what would become the University of Florida’s law school.
- W.A. Blount (1911) was so revered that upon his passing in 1921, both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida East Coast Railway paused in his honor.
- Jefferson Beale Browne (1910) served as chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court and Key West postmaster — bridging law and public service in the state’s southernmost city.
- Harris Drew (1943), a Palm Beach lawyer and later Supreme Court chief justice, helped lead Florida’s early conversations on capital punishment and judicial modernization.
- Lewis Twyman (1936) in 1933 was appointed to defend a self-proclaimed anarchist who tried to assassinate then President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt in Miami’s Bayfront Park.
- Robert J. Pleus (1948) played a role in organizing the legal effort that would successfully argue for Bar integration before the Florida Supreme Court, paving the way for today’s unified Bar.
The list also includes figures who left their mark in surprising ways — like Martin Caraballo (1937), who, in addition to his legal and civic work, patented mechanical inventions he designed in his own workshop. Or John Cobb Cooper, Jr., (1931) who bridged law and aviation, serving as legal counsel for Pan American Airways and teaching international air law at McGill University.
These men were the architects of the profession, advocates for reform, and often national figures in the legal community. Many served as presidents of local bars, chairs of national committees, legal scholars, military officers, and trusted advisors to governors and courts.
Collectively, the presidents of the Florida State Bar Association from 1907 to 1949 helped steer Florida’s legal community through a time of profound transformation — from frontier-style practice to a more modern, ethical, and standardized profession. Their legacy lives on in Florida’s courtrooms, classrooms, law libraries, and in The Florida Bar itself.
In this installment of our 75th anniversary series, we remember those presidents and reflect on their individual and collective contributions. Their stories follow.
Robert L. Anderson
1907 — Robert Lockridge Anderson, Ocala. He was elected as the first president of the Florida State Bar Association at its organizational meeting in Jacksonville on February 4, 1907. Anderson practiced law in Ocala from 1884 to 1935. He was appointed judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit on June 7, 1935. He was admitted to the Bar in Kentucky in 1880 and in Florida in 1883.
1908 — Frederick Towle Myers, Tallahassee. He was born in Tallahassee, where he practiced law for over 50 years. Myers held numerous public service roles, including president and member of the Florida Senate, clerk of the Florida Supreme Court, attorney for both Leon County and the City of Tallahassee, chief clerk of the State Treasurer’s Office, and chief clerk of the State Land Office. He was admitted to the Bar in 1876.
1909 — Edward R. Gunby, Orlando/Tampa. Gunby previously served as vice president of the Tampa Bar Association and attorney for the Citizens Bank and Trust Company. He was appointed collector of customs for the Port of Tampa by President William Henry Harrison, served as a member of the Maryland Legislature, and held the distinction of being the first King of Tampa’s Gasparilla Festival. He was admitted to the Bar in Maryland in 1879 and in Florida in 1883.
1910 — Jefferson Beale Browne, Key West. Browne was one of the organizers of the Florida State Bar Association in 1907 and served as vice president for the Sixth Circuit. Browne held numerous public offices, including justice and chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, judge in the 20th Judicial Circuit, member and president of the Florida Senate, and chairman of the Florida Railroad Commission. He also served as collector of customs and postmaster in Key West, as well as city and county attorney. He was admitted to the Bar in 1880.
W.A. Blount
1911 — W.A. Blount, Pensacola. An organizer of the Florida State Bar Association, Blount was elected vice president for the First Circuit and later served as president of the American Bar Association. He also chaired the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. His public service included roles as a state senator from Escambia County (one of a few Florida lawmakers to vote against secession), chairman of the commission to revise the Florida Statutes, and delegate to the 1885 Florida Constitutional Convention. He was admitted to the Bar in 1873. Upon Blount’s death in 1921, the U.S. Supreme Court adjourned immediately in his honor, and the Florida East Coast Railway suspended all train operations—both passenger and freight—for two minutes during the hour of his funeral.
George C. Bedell
1912 — George C. Bedell, Jacksonville. One of the original organizers of the Florida State Bar Association in 1907, Bedell also served as a delegate and chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee, was a member of the Duval County School Board, a trustee of the Jacksonville Free Public Library, and president of the Law Library Association of Jacksonville. He was admitted to the Bar in 1896.
1913 — W.A. MacWilliams, St. Augustine. One of the founding organizers of the Florida State Bar Association in 1907, MacWilliams held numerous public offices, including member and president of the Florida Senate, member of the Florida House of Representatives, justice of the peace, county judge, city judge, and both city and county attorney. He also served as president of the Board of Trustees for the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. In 1885, he organized the St. Augustine Guards and later rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Florida National Guard. Following the Great Fire of 1901 in Jacksonville, he served as acting adjutant general and assumed control of the city. He was admitted to the Bar in 1885.
1914 — Will H. Price, Marianna/Miami. He served as judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit and chairman of the Democratic State Executive Committee. He also served as a presidential elector and was involved in the abstract and real estate business. Price was admitted to the Bar in Texas in 1886 and in Florida in 1893.
1915 — Thomas Franklin West, Tallahassee/Milton/Pensacola. West served as justice and chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, as well as judge of the First Judicial Circuit and attorney general of Florida. West was also a member of the Florida House of Representatives and served in the Florida Senate, where he held the position of president pro tempore. Additionally, he was a commissioner involved in the revision of the General Statutes of Florida. He was admitted to the Bar in 1900.
1916 — Nathan P. Bryan, Jacksonville. A U.S. Senator and judge of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Bryan served as chairman of the Board of Control for Florida State Institutions of Higher Education and authored the legislation that established the board. He is regarded as the father of the University of Florida Law School, which honored him by naming the Nathan P. Bryan Law College after him. Bryan Hall at Florida State College for Women (now Florida State University) was named for his brother, Sen. William James Bryan. He was admitted to the Bar in 1895.
1917-18 — William Hunter, Tampa. One of the original organizers of the Florida State Bar Association in 1907, Hunter served as president of the Hillsborough County Bar and was a member of the American Bar Association, referee in bankruptcy proceeding for Tampa, and city attorney. He was also president emeritus of the Hillsborough County Tuberculosis and Health Association. He was admitted to the bar in Tennessee in 1878 and Florida in 1892.
William Hull Ellis
1919 — William Hull Ellis, Tallahassee. Ellis served as justice and chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court and as attorney general of Florida. Ellis organized the State Auditor’s Office at the request of Gov. William Sherman Jennings. He also served as state auditor, Democratic presidential elector, general counsel to the trustees for Internal Improvement, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, and president of the Town Council of Quincy.
1920 — O. K. Reaves, Bradenton/Tampa. One of the original organizers of the Florida State Bar Association in 1907, Reaves served as judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, trustee of Stetson University, president of the Florida Baptist Convention, and member of the Florida House of Representatives. He declined an appointment to the Florida Supreme Court offered by Gov. Cary Hardee. He was admitted to the Bar in 1902.
1921 — William E. Kay, Jacksonville. An assistant general solicitor and general solicitor for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Kay also served as a prosecuting attorney and official stenographer in Georgia. He was admitted to the Bar in Georgia in 1878 and Florida in 1906.
1921 — Charles O. Andrews, Orlando. A U.S. Senator and member of the Florida House of Representatives, Andrews also served as a Supreme Court commissioner, counsel for the Florida Real Estate Commission, city attorney for Orlando, and general counsel for the Florida Railroad Commission. He was the first judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit, assistant attorney general, judge of the Criminal Court of Record in Walton County, and bill secretary for the Florida Senate. He was admitted to the Bar in 1907.
1922 — Armstead Brown, Miami. Brown served as chief justice and justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Brown was president of the Dade County Bar Association and general solicitor for the Florida East Coast Railway and Hotel Company. He also served as associate judge of the City Court of Montgomery and county solicitor for Chambers County, Alabama. He was admitted to the Bar in Alabama in 1897 and Florida in 1915.
1923 — Ezra P. Axtell, Jacksonville. A member of the Chancery Committee, which rewrote chancery procedure for the state of Florida, Axtell also served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida and was a professor at the East Florida Seminary. He was admitted to the Bar in 1885.
1924 — John H. Carter, Marianna. Carter wrote the act creating the State Board of Bar Examiners. Carter was also very active in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. He was admitted to the Bar in 1886.
1925 — William Wade Hampton, Gainesville. He served as attorney for the Board of Control in connection with the establishment and incorporation of the University of Florida. Hampton was vice president and attorney for the First National Bank of Gainesville and founded the first Democratic newspaper in Alachua County, the Gainesville Times (the forerunner of the Gainesville Sun). He also served as a member of the County School Board, president and trustee of the East Florida Seminary, and secretary of the Board of Public Works in Gainesville. Hampton was very active in the Episcopal Church. He was admitted to the Bar in Camilla, Georgia, at age 20 by special act of the Georgia Legislature on May 23, 1876.
1926 — W. I. Evans, Miami. Evans initiated the movement to establish the Florida Law Journal. Evans served as president of the Dade County Bar and was a member of the American Law Institute. He founded the Conference of Bar Delegates and was chief organizer of the Everglades Drainage District and Flood Control Commissions. He also served as county attorney for Broward County, general counsel for the First Trust Company of Miami, and director of Burdines, Inc. He was admitted to the Bar in 1913.
1927 — John B. Sutton, Tampa. He served as president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and general solicitor for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Sutton was vice president and director of the Tampa Southern Railroad, and a director of the Exchange National Bank of Tampa, State Chamber of Commerce, and Atlanta and East Coast Terminal Company. He also served as a trustee of the University of Tampa and was a member of the State Board of Control and State Board of Bar Examiners. He was admitted to the Bar in 1914.
1928 — Robert Hargis Anderson, Jacksonville/Miami. A president of the Dade County Bar and member of the American Bar Association, Anderson served as judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit and was a member of the American Law Institute. He chaired the State Board of Bar Examiners and acted as counsel for the Florida East Coast Railway and Flagler Estate Properties. He also served as assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District and was a member of the Florida House of Representatives. He was admitted to the Bar in 1913.
1929 — Raymer F. Maguire, Orlando. He served as a member of the Florida Constitution Advisory Commission (1955–56) and as chairman of the Committee on Proposed Florida Constitution (1950). Maguire also chaired the State Plant Board and served as state attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit. He was president of the Orlando Chamber of Commerce and the University of Florida Alumni Association. He was admitted to the Bar in 1915.
1930 — Robert Abner Henderson, Jr., Fort Myers. He was president of the Florida Holding Company and Henderson & Franklin. Henderson also served as vice president, general counsel, and director of Inter-County Telephone & Telegraph. He was a director of the Fort Myers Beach Development Company and chairman of the Board of Lee County Bank. Additionally, he was a breeder of pure-bred Brahman cattle. He was admitted to the Bar in 1914.
1931 — John Cobb Cooper, Jr., Jacksonville. Lawyer, author, and aviation consultant, Cooper was a member of the American Law Institute and the American Society of International Law. He served as vice president and director of Pan American Airways and was director of the Institute of Air Law. Cooper was also a law professor at McGill University in Montreal, a member of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton, and served on the Florida Board of Control. He was admitted to the Bar in 1911.
Thomas Mitchell Shackleford, Jr.
1932 — Thomas Mitchell Shackleford, Jr., Tampa. Shackleford served as president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and was member of the American Law Institute and American Judicature Society. Shackleford was president emeritus and fellow of the University of Florida Foundation, and chairman emeritus of the Board of Tampa Federal Savings & Loan Association. He served as attorney for the State Road Department, commissioner on Uniform State Laws, Hillsborough County attorney, and referee in bankruptcy proceedings. He was admitted to the Bar in 1907.
1933 — Giles J. Patterson, Jacksonville. A fellow of the American Bar Foundation and director of the American Judicature Society, Patterson was a member of the Lawyer’s Committee of the American Liberty League and served on the Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals. He was admitted to the Bar in South Carolina in 1908 and Florida in 1914.
1934 — John David Harris, St. Petersburg. Harris was a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and owned the West Coast Abstract Company, which he sold to attend law school. Harris was a member of the Committee of 100, served as director and vice president of the Florida State Chamber of Commerce, and was a supervisor at Stetson College of Law. He also served on the President’s Board of Alumni Counselors at Stetson University. He was admitted to the Bar in 1919.
1935 — William Harlow Rogers, Jacksonville. He was chairman of the committee that drafted the Florida Probate Law. A president of the Jacksonville Bar Association, Rogers was also a member of the American Law Institute and the American Judicature Society. He served as president of the Florida Title and Guaranty Company and general counsel for the Jacksonville Expressway Authority. Rogers was also a trustee of Jacksonville University, special assistant to the U.S. Attorney General, and director of the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville and First Federal Savings & Loan. He was admitted to the Bar in New York in 1909 and Florida in 1912.
Lewis Twyman
1936 — Lewis Twyman, Miami. A president of the Dade County Bar and city attorney for Miami, Twyman also served as counsel for the Dade County Securities Company and was a member of the Board of Law Examiners. Notably, he was appointed to defend Giuseppe Zangara, who attempted to assassinate President Franklin D. Roosevelt by shooting at him during a speech at Miami’s Bayfront Park, killing the mayor of Chicago in the process. He was admitted to the Bar in Virginia in 1915 and Florida in 1917.
1937 — Martin Caraballo, Tampa. Caraballo served as president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and was delegate to the convention to repeal the 18th Amendment. Caraballo served as a member of the Charter Board for the City of Tampa, presidential elector, and director of the National City Bank. An inventor as well, he patented many inventions developed in his fully equipped mechanical workshop. He was admitted to the Bar in 1907.
1938 — Ed R. Bentley, Lakeland. Executive secretary of the Florida State Bar Association and editor of the Florida Law Journal, Bentley also served as director of the Lawyers Title Guaranty Fund, vice president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and was a fellow of the American College of Probate Counsel. He was admitted to the Bar in 1925.
1939 — Daniel Huntley Redfearn, Miami. A president of the Dade County Bar Association and trustee of the University of Miami, Redfearn also authored several legal textbooks, including "Wills & Administration of Estates in Georgia" and "Wills & Administration of Estates in Florida," along with numerous articles in the Florida Law Journal. He was admitted to the Bar in Georgia in 1910 and Florida in 1924.
James Velma Keen
1940 — James Velma Keen, Tallahassee. A chairman of the Florida Nuclear Development Commission and trustee of Florida Southern College, Keen was also a member of the Regional Advisory Council on Nuclear Energy, president and director of the Southern Scholarship and Research Foundation, and chairman of the Continuing Education Council of Florida. He served on the Florida Advisory Council on Education and as chairman of the Circuit Court Commission. Keen’s legal career included roles as assistant attorney general, state attorney for Sarasota County, and member of the Florida House of Representatives. He also served as a director for Leon Federal Savings & Loan, the Florida Historical Society, Marianna Coca-Cola Bottling Company, and Title Insurance Company of the South. He was admitted to the Bar in 1927.
1941 — Robert Richerson Milam, Jacksonville. Milam served as a bar association delegate, state delegate, and member of the Supreme Court Building Commission. Milam was a member of the American Bar Association and chaired numerous state bar committees. He was admitted to the Bar in 1913.
1942 — J. Thomas Gurney, Orlando. He was a member of the American Bar Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers. Gurney served as chairman of the Board of Control and was a member of the Council of 100. He contributed to the Florida Supreme Court Commission for Redrafting Common Law Rules of Procedure and served on the Examining Board of the Florida Parole Commission. He authored "Life Insurance Law of Florida," "Disability Claims Resort to Equity," and "World War II Construction of War Clauses." He was admitted to the Bar in 1922.
1943 — E. Harris Drew, West Palm Beach. A president of the Palm Beach Bar Association and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, Drew also chaired the Governor’s Select Committee to Study Capital Punishment and served as vice president of the Board of Overseers at Stetson University College of Law. He was a member of the Awards Jury for the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, the American Law Institute, and the Board of Commissioners for the Port of Palm Beach. Drew also served as attorney for the Town of Palm Beach. He was admitted to the Bar in 1923.
1944 — Warren Leroy Jones, Jacksonville. A president of the Jacksonville Bar Association, senior circuit judge of the Fifth Circuit, and U.S. circuit judge of the Fifth Circuit, Jones was also a member of the American Law Institute and the American Judicature Society. He served as president of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, deputy district attorney, and was a collector of Lincolniana — a collection of materials related to Abraham Lincoln. He was admitted to the Bar in Colorado in 1924 and Florida in 1926.
1945 — Julius Frederick Parker, Tallahassee. A president of the Junior Bar Section and member of the American Bar Association, Parker also served as attorney for the Tallahassee State Bank, member of the Interstate Oil Compact Commission, and attorney for the trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund. He was also a member of the Florida Legislature and authored key legislation including the Florida Perpetual Statutory Revision Law, Florida Limited Partnership Act, and the Foundation Fund Educational Act. He was admitted to the Bar in 1935.
1946 — James Booth, St. Petersburg. Booth was the attorney for Florida Bank & Trust and city attorney for St. Petersburg. Booth drafted the new charter for St. Petersburg’s commission form of government and specialized in Titles, Conveyances, and Corporation Law. He was admitted to the Bar in 1910.
E. Dixie Beggs
1947 — E. Dixie Beggs, Pensacola. Beggs served as president of the Society of the Bar, First Judicial Circuit, and president of the Junior Bar Section. Beggs served as Florida Bar delegate to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference and was a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Law Institute. He chaired the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation and was a director of the American Judicature Society. Beggs also served on the Board of Regents of the American College of Probate Counsel and was the first chairman of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission. A charter member of the Florida Judicial Council, he was state attorney for the First Judicial Circuit and involved with the Federation of Insurance Counsel. He held leadership roles as president of the Florida Baptist Foundation and as director of First Bank & Trust and Barnett Banks of Florida. He was admitted to the Bar in 1931.
1948 — Robert J. Pleus, Orlando. Pleus served as president of the Orange County Bar Association, judge of the Second District Court of Appeal, attorney for the State Board of Administration, assistant attorney general, and member of the advisory council for the Central Florida Naval Reserve. Pleus organized the drive to integrate The Florida Bar and successfully argued the case before the Florida Supreme Court. He was admitted to the bar in Colorado and Florida in 1926.
1949 — Richard H. Hunt, Miami. Hunt served as president of the Dade County Bar Association and was member of the American Judicature Society. Hunt served as judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit, member of the State Land Use and Control Commission, and chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Dade County Law Library. He was a trustee of Jackson Memorial Hospital, city attorney for Coral Gables and Miami, assistant state attorney for Dade County, and a law school instructor at the University of Miami. Hunt authored The Bar Indicated Riparian Rights in Florida and successfully defended Judge George Holt in his 1957 impeachment trial before the Florida Senate. He was admitted to the Bar in 1925.
Editor’s Note: The information in this article is drawn from "A World of Opportunities to Discover Florida’s Legal and Judicial History: Presidents of the Florida State Bar Association, 1907–1949," prepared by the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society. Special thanks to Vicki Brand, who joined The Florida Bar staff in 1980 as executive assistant to the Bar’s executive director. Since her retirement in 2019, she has devoted herself to compiling and curating the documentary history of The Florida Bar and its predecessor, the Florida State Bar Association. Her efforts have been instrumental in preserving and bringing these early chapters of Florida’s legal history to light.
