John Thrasher led a remarkable life. President of Florida State University. Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Soldier, lawmaker, businessman. And family man. He died today (Friday) at the age of 81.
Thrasher had a special blend of leadership qualities. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush describes himself as a “rookie governor” when he started working with the then-House Speaker.
“Were it not for John Thrasher, whatever success that I had…that we had as an administration, wouldn’t have happened the first few years. He took me under his wings and was an incredible partner…and I got to see true leadership up close.”
Although Thrasher was a powerful man, Bush says, he was always gracious.
“He was a tough guy, but he was always cool under pressure," he said. "Never lost his temper. Was always respectful. You know, we had a big majority as Republicans, but he always let the other side, other voices, be heard. He was respectful to people.”
Thrasher was known for his fierce pride in Florida State long before he became its president. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business there in 1965. He earned two Bronze Stars in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged as a captain in 1970, then returned to FSU, earning his law degree with honors in 1972.
Thrasher was the 90th speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and Bush says Thrasher’s experience in the military and the legislature prepared him well for the presidency of FSU.
“You have to have a degree of empathy for the other side. Which we’ve lost a little bit in our politics, but John exemplified that," Bush said. "I think those skills directly transferred over to a public leadership job like being president of FSU.”
Thrasher was FSU’s president from 2014 to 2021, during which time FSU rose to No. 18 among public universities in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Here he is in 2022, the year after he retired:
“We were able to really motivate folks towards student success. We were able to tell our story and find students who wanted to come here," Thrasher said. "I mean, last year, I was here, we had 75,000 applications.”
His successful presidency included a fundraising campaign that netted $1.16 billion.
“I’m really proud of Florida State, proud of what we’ve accomplished. We have a great faculty," he said. "They’re getting better and better every year, and the new president, I think, is on a track to even accelerate all of that and make it even better than it is.”
Skip Foster of Hammerhead Communications was publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat during Thrasher’s leadership of FSU. He recalls Thrasher once asking him not to publish something.
“I had to say, ‘You know, John, I would love to be able to say yes to your request, but I just can’t do it.’ And he understood," Foster said. "And the next time I saw him, it was like nothing had ever happened. He knew that even though we had semi-adversarial roles, we could still treat each other with respect, and that’s how he led his whole life. That was just a microcosm of the way he led.”
Thrasher was just as successful as a businessman. He co-founded The Southern Group lobbying firm and was a partner there. He served as general counsel of the Florida Medical Association for decades.
But for him, he said, it’s less about the accomplishments than the impacts.
“Numbers are just numbers," said Thrasher. "It’s what happens to our kids when they leave. And they’re doing great things all over the country.”
He is survived by Jean, to whom he was married for 60 years.
According to Florida State University, a private burial has been planned in Orange Park, Florida, and a celebration of life will be held August 19 at Florida State University’s Ruby Diamond Concert Hall.
