Representative William Dawson Gunter

William Dawson Gunter Jr. (July 16, 1934 – April 8, 2024) was an American politician from the state of Florida who served as a Democratic Representative in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1975 and later held statewide office for twelve years as Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Fire Marshal of Florida. Over the course of his public career, he participated in the legislative process at both the state and federal levels and became a prominent figure in Florida’s political and regulatory landscape.

Gunter was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 16, 1934. He spent his formative years in North Florida, attending public schools in Live Oak. After completing his early education, he enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he pursued studies in agriculture. He received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (B.S.A.) from the University of Florida in 1956. While a student there, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Florida Upsilon chapter, an affiliation that connected him with a broad network of future business and political leaders in the state. In 1957, he briefly attended the University of Georgia, furthering his academic experience before entering military service.

Following his university studies, Gunter served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1958. His period of military service coincided with the early Cold War era, and, like many of his contemporaries, he combined short-term active duty with the beginning of a civilian career. After leaving the Army, he returned to Florida and became increasingly involved in public affairs and Democratic Party politics, positioning himself for elective office during a time of demographic growth and political change in the state.

Gunter’s formal political career began in state government. He was elected to the Florida State Senate in 1966, joining the legislature as Florida was undergoing rapid expansion and grappling with issues of education, infrastructure, and modernization. His service in the State Senate helped establish his reputation as a capable legislator and provided a platform for his subsequent bid for national office. By the early 1970s, with Florida gaining population and congressional representation, he emerged as a candidate for a newly created seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the 1972 election, Gunter was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives as the first member from Florida’s 5th congressional district, a newly drawn district centered in the Orlando area. He took office on January 3, 1973, and served one term in the 93rd Congress, leaving office on January 3, 1975. During this period, which was marked by the unfolding of the Watergate scandal and significant national debate over economic and foreign policy, he contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of his constituents in Central Florida. His voting record in the 93rd Congress was generally characterized as moderate, reflecting both the political diversity of his district and the broader ideological currents within the Democratic Party at the time.

While still serving in Congress, Gunter sought higher office. In 1974, he ran for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate from Florida but was unsuccessful, losing the primary to Richard Stone. After leaving the House of Representatives in 1975, he turned his attention to statewide executive office. In 1976, he was elected Florida State Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner, a position that also encompassed responsibilities as State Fire Marshal. He took office in 1977 and served in this combined statewide role until 1988, overseeing insurance regulation, state treasury functions, and fire safety policy during a period of substantial growth in Florida’s population, property development, and insurance markets.

Gunter remained a prominent figure in Florida Democratic politics throughout the late 1970s and 1980s and made multiple bids for the U.S. Senate. In 1980, while serving as Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner, he again sought a Senate seat. He defeated incumbent Senator Richard Stone in the Democratic primary, setting up a general election contest against Republican nominee Paula Hawkins, who had previously been the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in the 1978 gubernatorial election. In the November 1980 general election, Gunter was narrowly defeated by Hawkins, who received 51.7 percent of the vote to his 48.3 percent. Her victory was one of twelve Republican pickups in that election cycle, contributing to a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1954. Gunter made a final bid for the Senate in 1988, again seeking the Democratic nomination. He narrowly lost that primary to Buddy MacKay, who subsequently lost the general election to Republican Connie Mack III.

After concluding his service as Florida Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Fire Marshal in 1988, Gunter transitioned to the private sector while remaining closely connected to the insurance industry he had long regulated. He worked with Rogers, Gunter, Vaughn, a Tallahassee-based insurance agency, where he was a principal figure. In this capacity, he was active in related trade associations and engaged in lobbying on behalf of the insurance industry, drawing on his extensive experience in state government and regulatory affairs. His post-government career reflected a continued involvement in public policy, particularly in areas related to insurance, finance, and consumer protection.

William Dawson Gunter Jr. spent his later years in Tallahassee, Florida, where he remained a respected elder statesman in Democratic and policy circles. He died at his home in Tallahassee on April 8, 2024, at the age of 89. His career spanned service in the Florida State Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and more than a decade in statewide executive office, as well as significant activity in the private sector, marking him as a notable figure in Florida’s political and governmental history in the latter half of the twentieth century.