Deans Of The Florida Senate

Because these three childhood friends from West Palm Beach dominated Florida politics from the mid-’60s through the mid-’80s.
Because Jerry Thomas was “probably the most significant environmental law-changer in the history of this state,” according to Lewis. “He was years ahead of everybody else.”
Because the first time Phil Lewis’ son, Neil, saw his dad cry was the day Jerry Thomas died. “My father told me then,” Neil said, ” `Don’t ever be afraid to tell someone you love them.’ ”
Because the love these three lawmakers had for their hometown led them to make important changes: Thomas was known as Mr. Conservation because he helped stop the dumping of untreated sewage into Lake Worth. In 1970, Lewis launched the campaign to complete Palm Beach County’s last stretch of Interstate 95. Governors, both Republicans and Democrats, called on him to be the peacemaker. He has served on dozens of education boards, including the Board of Regents. Johnston sponsored legislation to start the first Children’s Services Council in the state and made sure it passed. During his Senate presidency, the Growth Management Act passed. In August 1999, President Clinton named him special envoy to the Sudan because of his role as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs African subcommittee.
Because when a new technology building was named for him at Palm Beach Community College’s north campus, Lewis said, “The next building here should be named The Taxpayer. He has made a tremendous sacrifice to make education possible.” And, when asked why he likes public service, Lewis replied: “I consider it fundamentally an honor to serve the public. I learned early on that one person can make a difference.”
- JAN TUCKWOOD

JERRY THOMAS
April 30, 1929 – July 29, 1980
Senate president, 1971-72
Member of the Florida Senate, 1965-1972
Born and raised in West Palm Beach, Thomas was “a man for all seasons,” said Phil Lewis when Thomas died of cancer at 51. The banker-turnedpolitician wrote or co-sponsored hundreds of laws, including the Florida Sunshine Law. Today, the bridge from Riviera Beach to Singer Island and a Jupiter elementary school are named for him.
PHIL LEWIS
Born Sept. 27, 1929
Senate president, 1979-80
Member of the Florida Senate, 1970-1980
“He’s Christianity in action,” says state Rep. Ed Healey, D-West Palm Beach. “He is deeply religious, but he doesn’t wear it on his shoulder. He doesn’t preach; he just lives that life.” Former state Senate President Dempsey Barron put it another way: “Phil’s strong as a bear’s breath, but you wouldn’t know it . . . He is so thoughtful and caring that he can bring you over to his side without having to be too mean to you. He’s strong because he’s philosophically so strong about things he cares about.” Lewis, who has a Riviera Beach real estate office, credits his mother, Julia, for his upbeat demeanor: “My mother could look at the devil himself and say, `He’s got nice ear lobes.’ A positive outlook pays off. I tell you, you continue to look at the best side of people, you’re going to bring the best side out of them.”
HARRY JOHNSTON II
Born Dec. 2, 1931
U.S. congressman,1989-97
Senate president, 1985-86;
Member of the Florida Senate, 1974-1986
As a fifth-generation Floridian, he championed growth management: “I do not want South Florida to be another Southern California.”
He recalls the West Palm Beach of his youth as “a great small town. There were all these big theaters downtown, and downtown was very bustling. Everything west of West Palm Beach was still under water.” His father, Col. Harry Johnston, a Palm Beach County attorney for 30 years, was a devout Christian Scientist and disciplinarian who expected his three children to excel in everything they did. “The colonel was something to be seen,” Lewis said of Harry’s dad. “You talk about a dedicated public servant, he was it. Harry got his early training from that tough old man of his.”