Guither was born in Walnut, Illinois, on June 16, 1927. He attended Walnut Community High School.[1] He spent 14 months in the United States Navy at the end of World War II.[1] He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Agriculture with a B.S. in agriculture and an M.S. in agricultural economics. He was an agricultural economist for Doane Agricultural Service in St. Louis, Missouri.[1]
In 1956, Guither joined the editorial staff at the University of Illinois, advising in agricultural communications.[1] He obtained a Ph.D. in agricultural economics in 1962. In 1966, he joined the Department of Agricultural Economics. Guither was secretary-treasurer of the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers for 10 years. He retired from the University of Illinois in 1995.[1] He was a member of the American Agricultural Economics Association. He received the 1999 ACES Award of Merit.[2]
In 1998, he authored a book on the history of the animal rights movement. He took a "middle of the road" position on animal rights and described the sociological characteristics of the movement.[3] It has been described as an attempt "to provide an unbiased examination of the paths and goals of the members of the animal rights movement and of its detractors".[4]
Guither died in Davenport, Iowa, on September 13, 2024, at the age of 97.[5]