Alexander White (Virginia politician)
Alexander White | |
---|---|
James Mercer | |
Preceded by | Abraham Hite |
Succeeded by | Joseph Neville |
Personal details | |
Born | June 17, 1738 White Hall, Virginia Colony, British America |
Died | October 9, 1804 Frederick County, Virginia, U.S. | (aged 65–66)
Resting place | Glen Burnie, Winchester, Virginia |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Pro-Administration Party |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Wood Sarah Cotter Hite |
Relations | Robert White (father) Margaret Hoge (mother) Robert White (nephew) Francis White (nephew) Robert White (great-great-nephew) James Wood (brother-in-law) |
Residence(s) | Woodville, Frederick County, Virginia |
Alma mater | University of Edinburgh Inner Temple Gray's Inn |
Occupation | lawyer, politician |
Alexander White (June 17, 1738 – October 9, 1804) was a distinguished early
The son of Virginia pioneer settler and physician Dr. Robert White (1688–1752); White was a member of the prominent White political family of Virginia and West Virginia. His nephew became Virginia judge Robert White (1759–1831), another nephew became United States Congressman Francis White (1761–1826), and his brother-in-law was Virginia Governor James Wood (1741–1813).
Early life and education
Alexander White was born in 1738 to Dr. Robert White (1688–1752) and his wife, Margaret Hoge, at "White Hall" in the Colony of Virginia, near present-day Hayfield then in vast Orange County (later part of Frederick County, which was created later that year).[2] White's father, Dr. Robert White, had served as a surgeon in the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Great Britain.[3][4][5] Between 1732 and 1735, Dr. White became a "pioneer settler" and one of two practicing physicians in what became Frederick County.[6][7] Through his father, White was of Scottish descent and raised in the Presbyterian faith.[8]
Dr. White sent his son to Scotland, where he studied jurisprudence at the University of Edinburgh.[3][9][10] White continued his law studies in London, England, where he was admitted to the Inner Temple on January 15, 1762, and matriculated at Gray's Inn on January 22, 1763.[2][9][11][12] White remained in Britain and completed his law studies during what Virginians called the French and Indian War.[13]
Lawyer and politician
White returned to Virginia in 1765, where he was admitted to the bar, began
House of Burgesses
When the first court of
American Revolutionary War
While White did not engage in
Virginia House of Delegates
From 1782 to 1786, White was elected annually and served in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing Frederick County (Winchester being the county seat) alongside Charles Mynn Thruston (three times, although White only arrived a month after the Virginia General Assembly began its first legislative session), and alongside James Wood in the 1784–1785 term.[21] White served another term in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1788 alongside John Shearman Woodcock.[22][2][11][14][23]
In 1788, White and Woodcock also participated in the
United States House of Representatives
White served two terms as the inaugural member to represent Virginia's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives during the 1st United States Congress and the 2nd United States Congress (March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1793).[2][3][23] White was the first person residing in what later became West Virginia to occupy a seat in the United States Congress.[18] During his tenure, White's congressional district spanned from Harpers Ferry to the Ohio River.[26] As he was previously known in the House of Burgesses, White was reportedly one of the more eloquently spoken members in the first Congress and also known for his "remarkable punctuality".[8][18]
White voted in favor of the
White was re-elected to his seat in 1791 after defeating his opponents,
City of Washington Board of Commissioners
On May 18, 1795, White was appointed by United States President George Washington to serve as one of the three commissioners responsible for supervising the raising of funds, planning, design, and acquisition of property and the erection of public buildings in the city of Washington and the federal district.[2][14][27][31] White had been selected to replace Daniel Carroll on the board following Carroll's resignation.[27][31] While on the board, White was paid a salary of $1,600 per year for his services;[27] White continued to serve on the board until May 1, 1802, when it was abolished.[2] He concurrently served as one of the directors of the Potomac Company, which made improvements to the Potomac River and improved its navigability for commerce.[27]
Personal life and family
In 1796, White married Elizabeth Wood (September 20, 1739 – October 24, 1782), the daughter of Colonel James Wood, founder of Winchester, Virginia, and his wife, Mary Rutherford Wood.
Land ownership
On either June 2 or November 5, 1773, White purchased the 260 acres (1.1 km2) estate of Henry Heth, who had
White owned "valuable lands" in Hampshire County, which enabled him to represent that county while serving as a member of the House of Burgesses.
Later life
White continued to
Death and legacy
White died on October 9, 1804, at his "Woodville" estate in Frederick County, Virginia.[2][31][32][33] He died without children, thus leaving no descendants.[3][33][34] White was interred at the Wood family's "Glen Burnie" estate in Winchester, Virginia.[10][32]
His
In his book, The History of the Virginia Federal Convention of 1788 (1891), Virginia historian Hugh Blair Grigsby remarked of White, "Perhaps no member of the able and patriotic delegation which the West contributed to our early councils exerted a greater influence in moulding public opinion, especially during the period embraced by the treaty of peace with Great Britain and by the adoption of the Federal Constitution, than Alexander White, of Frederick."[11]
White had a
References
- ^ Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography vol.2, p. 132
- ^ a b c d e f g h i United States Congress. "WHITE, Alexander, (1738–1804)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Kelley 1901, p. 224.
- ^ Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 739.
- ^ Bruce & Stanard 1968, p. 195.
- ^ Blanton 1980, p. 390.
- ^ Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 117.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 740.
- ^ a b Jensen, DenBoer & Becker 1984, p. 422.
- ^ a b Quarles 1971, p. 309.
- ^ a b c Grigsby 1891, p. 71.
- ^ Jensen, DenBoer & Becker 1984, pp. 422–423.
- ^ a b c Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 45.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jensen, DenBoer & Becker 1984, p. 423.
- ^ a b c d e Cartmell 1909, p. 213.
- ^ Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978 p. 102
- ^ a b Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 47.
- ^ a b c d Lewis 1906, p. 182.
- ^ a b c d e Kercheval 1833, p. 192.
- ^ a b c d Morton 1925, p. 91.
- ^ Leonard pp. 145, 149, 153, 156
- ^ Leonard p. 168
- ^ a b c d "Biographical Information: Alexander White", The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776–2007, Department of Politics, University of Virginia; University of Virginia Center for Politics; University of Virginia Library, archived from the original on February 24, 2014, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ a b "An Independent Freeholder, Winchester Virginia Gazette, 18 January 1788" (PDF), Virginia Ratification: Significant Speeches/Documents in Favor of Ratification, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Department of History, Center for the Study of the American Constitution, archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2014, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ a b "An Independent Freeholder, Winchester Virginia Gazette, 25 January 1788" (PDF), Virginia Ratification: Significant Speeches/Documents in Favor of Ratification, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Department of History, Center for the Study of the American Constitution, archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2014, retrieved February 18, 2014
- ^ a b c Bordewich 2009, p. 48.
- ^ a b c d e Tindall 1914, p. 194.
- ^ a b c d Bryan 1914, p. 43.
- ^ Bryan 1914, p. 256.
- ^ a b GovTrack. "Rep. Alexander White, Former Representative from Virginia's 1st District". GovTrack. Civic Impulse, LLC. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ a b c Bryan 1914, p. 255.
- ^ a b c d e f g Quarles 1971, p. 163.
- ^ a b c d Kerns 1995, p. 113.
- ^ a b c Cartmell 1909, p. 290.
- ^ a b Morton 1925, p. 60.
- ^ a b O'Dell 2007, p. 249.
- ^ Sage & Jones 1939, p. 42.
- ^ Kercheval 1833, p. 242.
- ^ Kercheval 1833, p. 247.
- ^ a b c Kangas & Payne 1983, p. 61.
- ^ Tyler p. 132
- ^ Netti Schriener-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love, The 1787 Census of Virginia (Springfield, Virginia: Genealogical Books in Print 1987) p. 504
- ^ Bunker 1972, p. 233.
Bibliography
- Blanton, Wyndham Bolling (1980). Medicine in Virginia in the Eighteenth Century. Ams Press Inc. ISBN 978-0-404-13238-5. Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-06-175554-5. Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- Bruce, Philip Alexander; Stanard, William Glover (1968). The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Volume 23. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Historical Society. Archived from the original on July 4, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- Bryan, Wilhelmus Bogart (1914). A History of the National Capital from Its Foundation Through the Period of the Adoption of the Organic Act, Volume 1. The Macmillan Company. Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- Bunker, John (1972). Liberty Ships: The Ugly Ducklings of World War II. ISBN 9780870213403. Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- Cartmell, Thomas Kemp (1909). Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia (illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908. ISBN 9780722246306. Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- Grigsby, Hugh Blair (1891). The History of the Virginia Federal Convention of 1788, With Some Account of the Eminent Virginians of That Era Who Were Members of the Body. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Historical Society. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-299-09510-9. Archivedfrom the original on December 18, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- Kangas, M. N.; Payne, D. E. (1983). Frederick County, Virginia: Wills & Administrations, 1795–1816. Genealogical Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-8063-1022-0. Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2014.
- Kelley, Gwendolyn Dunlevy (1901). A Genealogical History of the Dunlevy Family. ISBN 9780608320533. Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- Kercheval, Samuel (1833). A History of the Valley of Virginia. Winchester, Virginia: Samuel H. Davis.
- Kerns, Wilmer L. (1995). Frederick County, Virginia: Settlement and Some First Families of Back Creek Valley, 1730–1830. Gateway Press, Incorporated. Archived from the original on June 27, 2014.
- Lewis, Virgil Anson (1906). First Biennial Report of the Department of Archives and History of the State of West Virginia, Volume 1. West Virginia Department of Archives and History. Charleston, West Virginia: The Tribune Printing Company. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014.
- OL 23304577M.
- Morton, Frederic (1925). The Story of Winchester in Virginia: The Oldest Town in the Shenandoah Valley. ISBN 978-0-7884-1770-2. Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2014.
- Munske, Roberta R.; Kerns, Wilmer L., eds. (2004). Hampshire County, West Virginia, 1754–2004. OCLC 55983178.
- O'Dell, Cecil (2007). Pioneers of Old Frederick County Virginia. ISBN 978-0-7884-4483-8.
- Quarles, Garland Redd (1971). Some Old Homes in Frederick County, Virginia. Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society. ISBN 9780923198039. Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2014.
- Sage, Clara McCormack; Jones, Laura Elizabeth Sage (1939). Early Records, Hampshire County, Virginia: Now West Virginia, Including at the Start Most of Known Va. Aside from Augusta District. Genealogical Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-8063-0305-5. Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2014.
- Tindall, William (1914). Standard History of the City of Washington from a Study of the Original Sources. H. W. Crew & Company.
External links