Gov. Wayne Mixson’s leadership ability was recognized early and as president of his local county Farm Bureau, he worked tirelessly to get telephones installed in rural areas and to eradicate hog cholera from Florida. Mixson’s career as a statesman began with his election to the Florida House of Representatives in 1967. As chairman of the House Agriculture Committee for eight years, he passed hundreds of measures affecting every segment of agriculture. He served as Lt. Governor under Gov. Bob Grahman from 1979 through 1986. Following Graham’s resignation upon his election to the U.S. Senate, Mixson served briefly as Florida’s governor in 1987. Mixson was appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 to serve as a Special Ambassador to Ecuador, and he is a founder of the Florida Association of Voluntary Agencies for Caribbean Action.