William H. Byrom, known as “Cotton,” passed away at his home on Wednesday. He was a family man, businessman, statesman, and Navy veteran.
Byrom was born in Milton and received his schooling here through high school, where after he joined the U.S. Navy at 17 during WWII. Surviving the war, Byrom attended both the University of Florida and Florida State University, leaving FSU in 1949 with a degree in finance. He remained a committed FSU football fan since his graduation.
With acute business sense, he owned the Byrom Insurance and Real Estate Agency for almost 50 years from 1950 to 1989 and served on the SunTrust Bank Board of Directors for 35 years.
Byrom’s civic contributions to the city and state included service as mayor of Milton, city judge, and police director from 1950 to 1968. He served in the Florida Legislature for one year in 1960. He also served the community as Chairman of Santa Rosa Beach Administration from 1965 to 1983. Readers not familiar with the man himself may remember his name in association with last year’s courthouse vote. During the Santa Rosa County Commission’s discussions over location, he decided to donate a plot of land in East Milton.
Outside of civic life, Byrom was a member of the First United Methodist Church and member of Milton Kiwanis Club.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: William “Cotton” Byrom passes away