Louie L. Wainwright

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Louie L. Wainwright (born 11 September 1923) was Secretary of the Florida Division of Corrections from 1962 to 1987, more than a quarter of a century.^[1] He is most famous for being the named respondent in the 1963 Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright in which indigents are guaranteed an attorney. Time Magazine called this decision one of the ten most important legal events of the 1960s.^[2] He also appeared as the respondent in a number of habeas corpus petitions that reached the Supreme Court level during his long tenure in office, making "Wainwright" one of the most familiar names to students of habeas corpus law.

Wainwright received a masters degree in criminal justice from Nova University, later serving as a temporary faculty member there. He was then acknowledged as Dean of American Correctional Administrators. Wainwright was appointed as Secretary of the Florida Division of Corrections by Cecil Farris Bryant (Florida Governor at that time) in 1962, replacing H.G. Cochran and remained in the position until 1987, when Richard L. Dugger assumed the role.^[1]

He has received the American Correctional Association's highest tribute, the E.R. Cass Award for outstanding service and his efforts in support of accreditation in Florida and nationwide earned him the 1986 Accreditation Achievement Award from the Commission of Accreditation for Corrections. Wainwright was appointed to the Corrections Foundation Board in 2001 and re-appointed as President in 2003.

He once was the Superintendent of Avon Park Correctional Institution. His post, Secretary of the Florida Division of Corrections, replaced the post of Director of the Division of Corrections.