Bill Gunter

Infobox Congressman
name=William D. Gunter, Jr.

---

image size=
width=
state=Florida
district=5th
party=Democratic
term=1973 - 1975
preceded=Louis Frey, Jr.
succeeded=Richard Kelly
date of birth=birth date|1934|7|16|mf=y
place of birth=Jacksonville, Florida
date of death=
place of death=
spouse=
current occupation=

William Dawson Gunter, Jr. also known as Bill Gunter, was a Floridian politician. born in Jacksonville, Duval County, Fla., July 16, 1934; attended public schools, Live Oak, Fla.; B.S.A., University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., 1956; attended University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., 1957; United States Army, 1957-1958

He was a member of the Florida State Senate in 1966. He was elected to represent the 5th District of Florida U.S. House of Representatives in 1972 and served one term. His voting record was generally moderate. He was a failed candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1974, losing a bid for the Democratic nomination to Richard Bernard Stone. He was elected Florida State Treasurer in 1978 serving until 1988. In 1980 he ran again for the U.S. Senate. This time Gunter defeated Stone, the incumbent Senator, in the Democratic primary. He then faced the winner of the Republican primary, Paula Hawkins, who had been Jack Eckerd's running mate in the 1978 Gubernatorial election. In a close race, Gunter was defeated by Hawkins, with 51.7% of the vote going to Hawkins, and 48.3% going to Gunter. His loss was accompanied by the change of 11 other seats in the U.S. Senate from Democratic to Republican hands, riding on Reagan's coattails. This produced a Republican majority in the Senate for the first time since 1954. Gunter made a final Senate bid in 1988, but narrowly lost the Democratic nomination to Buddy MacKay.

In recent years Gunter has worked at Rogers, Gunter, Vaughn, a Tallahassee-based insurance agency and been active in related trade associations and lobbying for the industry.