E. Bruce Strayhorn
239.334.1260
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Edwin Bruce Strayhorn is a sixth generation Floridian, born and raised in Fort Myers, Florida. He graduated from Fort Myers High School in 1970. He graduated from Stetson University with an undergraduate degree in history, in 1974. He received his Juris Doctorate from Stetson College of Law in 1977. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1977, as well as the United States District Court, both Southern and Middle Districts.
During his career, Mr. Strayhorn served as Special Assistant State Attorney for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit and later the Twentieth Judicial Circuit.
The firm of Strayhorn & Strayhorn was founded in Fort Myers by 1915 by Mr. Strayhorn's grandfather and great uncle, Guy M. Strayhorn and Leonidas Y. Redwine.
Guy Moreau Strayhorn was born on a cotton farm in London, Arkansas, in 1889. With degrees from Hendrix College and Fort Smith Business College, he journeyed south in 1908 to help his brother, Felix, survey land in Citrus Center, a Florida boom town. That year he married Stella Redwine, who had traveled to Florida with her father, Judge Mathew M. Redwine, of Sandy Hook, Kentucky. Guy and Stella returned to Sandy Hook where he studied in the law office of Stella's brother, Leonidas Y. Redwine, who later relocated to Fort Myers and served as a Lee County judge in the early 1900's.
After Guy was admitted to the bar in Kentucky, the couple returned to Citrus Center where their son, Norwood, was born in North LaBelle. A second son, Orville Tennyson Strayhorn, would follow.
Guy Strayhorn did not graduate from law school, but rather was admitted to the practice of law after apprenticeship. He later professed that his first law books were the King James Version of the Holy Bible and the Writ of Common Law Pleas.
Guy was Lee County prosecutor from 1920 to 1924, a period that kept him busy prosecuting bootleggers, moonshiners and rum runners. The pay was $50 a month and $5 for every conviction. He went on to serve as State Attorney for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit from 1926 to 1935. He was elected State Representative for Lee County in 1938, and served in the Florida legislature until 1941. Guy was a founding member of the Lee County Cattlemen's Association and during World War II was Chairman of the Selective Service Board of Lee County.
In 1967 he served on the Lee County Bi-Racial Committee and was a member of the Lee County Charter Commission in 1969-70.
Norwood Redwine Stayhorn graduated from Fort Myers High School, attended Asbury College, and graduated from the University of Florida and the University of Florida Law School. He began practicing law in Fort Myers in 1934, and served in the Florida Legislature beginning in 1949. He also served for many years as the city attorney for the City of Fort Myers, as well as counsel for the Lee County Sheriff's Department. He was President of the Lee County Bar Association in 1953 and was the Governor's Representative to the Central and South Florida Water Management District in 1962.
His predecessors instilled in Bruce Strayhorn respect for the law and public service. He has been active with numerous Southwest Florida activities including the Lee County Planning Advisory Committee, the Lee County Industrial Development Authority, and the Lee County Public Schools Foundation. Also, in the spirit of public service, he has served the American Cancer Society as co- founder of the Lee County Cattle Baron's Ball. He has previously served as President of Business People United for Political Action, Director of the Edison Pageant of Light, Edison/Ford Home Advisory Board, State Director of the Florida Cattlemen's Association, Charter Member of the Lee County Horizon Council, and Director of Lee Memorial Hospital, Inc. He is the recipient of the Southern Christian Leadership conference Humanitarian Award. He has served for over twenty years as a Commissioner of the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers and has served as a member of the United States Senate Advisory Committee. He served as a member of the United States Senate Right-of-Way Acquisition Advisory Committee. He presently serves on the United States Federal Judicial Nominating Commission. He additionally has served on the Lee County Attorney Selection Committee. He has served as Regional Chairman of the Bob Graham for Governor, Bob Graham United States Senate and Bob Graham for President Committees, as well as Regional Chair for the Bill Nelson for Senate Election Committee. His practice is predominantly in the fields of administrative law, land use, and civil litigation.
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Jenna D. Persons
239.334.1260
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Ms. Persons is a sixth generation Lee County resident and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2008 and the United States Middle District in 2010. She graduated from The George Washington University Law School, where she chaired the University's chapter of the Republican National Lawyers Association. She is presently a member of the Calusa Inn of Court.
Ms. Persons, a Fort Myers High School graduate, received her undergraduate degrees in Government and Journalism from Evangel University, where she attended on a full scholarship to play tennis and was hired her senior year as the head women's tennis coach. While at Evangel, Ms. Persons worked two years for U.S. Congressman Roy Blunt, then Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, coordinated volunteer efforts for the District's Republican Party and managed a Missouri state representative's campaign. Ms. Persons graduated Evangel with the honor of being named the Outstanding Graduate by the Communication Department.
Ms. Persons recently was a candidate for Mayor of the City of Fort Myers. She received 33 percent of the vote in the September, 2009, primary election. Ms. Persons presently serves on the Foundation and City Advisory Boards for the Southwest Florida Historical Museum. She also serves as Secretary for the Young Lawyer's Division of the Lee County Bar, Assistant Treasurer for The Lee Republican Women's Club, and as a member of the Lee County Republican Executive Committee. In addition, Ms. Persons serves on the Land Development and Growth management Oversight Committee for the City of Fort Myers.
Ms. Persons' great-great-great grandfather John Powell presided as Justice of the Peace for Monroe County and then served on the first Board of County Commissioners after the creation of Lee County. Her grandmother, Myrtle Persons, was a much-beloved artist in Fort Myers. Her father, Armor Persons, has helped grow the tennis community in Lee County as one of the longest tennis professionals in the area.
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