John Thrasher is shown during the 2024 Veteran's Day parade in Jacksonville. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on May 30, 2025 at 11:38 am
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Former Florida lawmaker John Thrasher, a House speaker and Florida State University president who was raised in Jacksonville, has died at age 81 after a battle with cancer.
Thrasher’s family and FSU announced the death Friday. Senate President Ben Albritton called the former House and Senate member “a tremendous person” who lived a life with many accomplishments.
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“Integrity, perseverance, and strength propelled John to success at every level of public service and private industry,” Albritton wrote. “From the battlefields of Vietnam where he returned as a highly decorated officer, to years of honorable service as speaker of the House, Rules chair of the Senate, and president of Florida State University, John was regarded by all as a strong, fair leader with unquestionable judgment, timeless principles of honor, and a gentleman all the way through.”
FSU President Richard McCullough lauded Thrasher’s contributions to the university after becoming FSU president in 2014 at age 70.
“As an alumnus, legislator, trustee, and president, he devoted his life to elevating FSU’s national reputation and helping the university reach new heights in student success, academic excellence, and research,” McCullough said in a statement. “John had a remarkable ability to bring people together with his warmth, humor, and unmistakable charm.”
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Thrasher was born Dec. 18, 1943 in Columbia, South Carolina, then raised in Jacksonville. He entered FSU in 1961 as a 17-year-old freshman, the first in his family to finish high school and go on to college.
Married in 1964, he and Jean Thrasher had three children. With a business degree from FSU, he joined the U.S. Army in 1965, receiving the Army Commendation Medal and two Bronze Stars for his service in Vietnam. He returned to Florida State to earn a law degree in 1972, the school said.
He served two decades as general counsel to the Florida Medical Association and co-founded The Southern Group, a governmental relations firm. His political life started on the Clay County School Board, then he moved to the Florida House of Representatives, where he was unanimously elected speaker in 1998.
He later served in the Florida Senate and chaired the Republican Party of Florida before serving as FSU’s president from 2014 to 2021. His cancer diagnosis was announced just over a month ago by his lobbying firm, The Southern Group, which said he was being treated at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare.
“His amazing public record of accomplishment — House speaker, senator, FSU president — often obscures his private greatness as a friend and mentor,” the Southern Group said. “He is a fighter, and he has the love and support of the entire TSG family.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis also issued a memorial to Thrasher on Friday, saying he “lived a remarkable life.”
“He made a big difference in the lives of so many in our state,” DeSantis posted. “We send our condolences to Jean and the entire Thrasher family.”
A news release from the Florida Senate said Thrasher’s family will hold a private funeral, with a public celebration of his life planned for later this summer.
