John Thrasher

John Thrasher is a member of the Florida Senate and a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. While leading the Florida House of Representatives during Jeb Bush’s first two years as Governor, John helped pass some of the landmark reforms advanced by the Governor, including an overhaul of the state’s education system. John served as a Florida co-chair for the George W. Bush for President Campaign in 2004 and is a former chairman of the Board of Trustees of Florida State University. John was honored by having the FSU medical school building named after him. John Thrasher began his political career in 1986 with his election to the Clay County School Board. He served as vice chairman, then chairman, of the board before running for the Florida House of Representatives. In 1992 he was elected to his first term as a state representative and was re-elected without opposition in 1994, 1996, and 1998. On November 17, 1998, the House of Representatives unanimously elected John Thrasher as Speaker of the House for the 1999 through 2000 term. John grew up in Jacksonville and obtained his bachelor’s degree in business from Florida State University before joining the United States Army. He served first in Germany, where he received the Army Commendation Medal, and later in Vietnam, where he was awarded two Bronze Stars. John attained the rank of captain before his honorable discharge. John earned his law degree with honors from the Florida State University College of Law. He was in private law practice in Daytona Beach and Tallahassee for several years before returning to Jacksonville to serve as general counsel of the Florida Medical Association, a position he held for 20 years. John and his wife, Jean, have three children and eight grandchildren.