Navigation The Florida Bar’s first steps toward a unified profession
John T. Wigginton: ‘It was not without some feeling of sadness and regret that we witnessed the demise of the Florida State Bar Association at its annual convention in Ormond Beach last April. Through the splendid leadership and unselfish work of its members, the Association has written upon the record of the legal profession in Florida many outstanding accomplishments.’
As The Florida Bar celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, we are looking back at the decisions and developments that shaped the modern, integrated Bar. One of the most defining was the Florida Supreme Court’s June 7, 1949, opinion ordering Bar integration — a ruling that reflected the profession’s vote and launched the organization we know today.
Florida became the 28th state to adopt an integrated, unified Bar. Of the 2,700 ballots mailed to Florida lawyers in 1949, 1,631 were returned, and 1,131 supported integration. Writing for the court, Justice Glenn Terrell noted that the referendum was fairly conducted and that every issue on the ballot passed by more than a two-to-one margin. With that, the court, invoking the observation that one should “follow the election returns,” made it clear that the will of the profession carried great weight.
