Howell Eugene Lancaster (July 31, 1911 – January 5, 1972) was an American politician. [ 2 ] A member of the Democratic Party , he served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1949 to 1966 and again from 1968 to 1972. [ 1 ] Life and career Lancaster was born in Eugene, Florida , the son of Raleigh and Lollie Lancaster. [ 3 ] He attended and graduated from the University of Florida . [ 4 ] After graduating, he worked as a farmer . [ 5 ] Lancaster served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1949 to 1966 and again from 1968 to 1972. [ 1 ] [ 6 ] During his service in the House, in the 1950s, he served as leader of the Pork Chop Gang , [ 7 ] a group of legislators from rural areas that dominated the state legislature due to malapportionment and used their power to engage in McCarthyist tactics. [ 8 ] Lancaster died on January 5, 1972, of an apparent heart attack while on a hunting trip in Columbia County, Florida , at the age of 60. [ 4 ] 1 2 3 "House of Representatives" . Archived from the original on January 13, 2018 . Retrieved November 13, 2022 – via Wayback Machine . ↑ "Other Big Bend" . Tallahassee Democrat . Tallahassee, Florida . November 13, 1968. p. 21 . Retrieved November 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com . ↑ "Howell Lancaster" . 1930 United States Federal Census . Retrieved June 28, 2025 – via Ancestry.com . (subscription required) 1 2 " 'Pork Chop' Leader Dies" . Tampa Bay Times . St. Petersburg, Florida . January 6, 1972. p. 36 . Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com . ↑ The Florida Handbook , Peninsular Publishing Company, 1965, p. 404 ↑ Ward, Robert (August 3, 2011). "Membership of the Florida House of Representatives by County 1845–2012" (PDF) . Florida House of Representatives . Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2022 . Retrieved November 13, 2022 – via Wayback Machine . ↑ "Rep. Howell Lancaster, Led 'Pork Chop Gang' " . The Miami Herald . Miami, Florida . January 6, 1972. p. 80 . Retrieved June 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .

↑ Weitz, Seth (March 1, 2009). "Defending the Old South: The Myth of the Lost Cause and Political Immorality in Florida, 1865–1968" . The Historian . 71 (1): 79– 92. doi : 10.1111/j.1540-6563.2008.00232.x . ISSN 0018-2370 . Retrieved June 28, 2025 – via Taylor & Francis . (subscription required) Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives University of Florida alumni 20th-century members of the Florida Legislature Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Use American English from July 2026 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Use mdy dates from April 2025 Pages using infobox officeholder with deprecated parameters Pages containing links to subscription-only content