George Henry White
Encyclopedia
George Henry White was a Republican U.S. Congressman
from North Carolina
between 1897 and 1901. He is considered the last African American
Congressman of the Reconstruction era, although his election came twenty years after the era's "official" end. By the time of his election, Reconstruction had long since been overturned throughout almost all of the South, making it impossible for blacks to be elected to federal office. However, in North Carolina, "fusion politics"
between the Populist
and Republican parties led to a brief period of Republican and African American political success from 1894 to 1900. After White left office, no other black American would serve in Congress until Oscar De Priest was elected in 1928; no other black American would be elected to Congress from the South until after the Civil Rights Movement
of the 1960s; Barbara Jordan
of Texas and Andrew Young
of Georgia were elected in 1972, and Harold Ford, Sr.
of Memphis, Tennessee
was elected in 1974.
in Washington, D.C.
in 1874. After graduating from Howard in 1877, he studied law privately under Judge William J. Clarke and was admitted to the North Carolina bar
in 1879, practicing in New Bern, North Carolina
. He taught school in New Bern and later became principal of the New Bern State Normal School, one of four training institutions for African American teachers created by the legislature in 1881.
in 1880, and then to the North Carolina Senate
in 1884 from Craven County
. In 1886, he was elected solicitor and prosecuting attorney for the second judicial district of North Carolina, a post he held until 1894.
A delegate to the 1896 and 1900 Republican National Convention
s, White was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1896 (over incumbent Frederick A. Woodard) from the predominantly black Second District
, and re-elected in a three-way race in 1898. During his tenure he arranged the appointments of a number of African American postmasters across his district, with the assistance of the state's Republican senator, Jeter C. Pritchard. White also introduced the first bill in Congress condemning lynching
. As North Carolina Democrats changed laws and intimidated blacks from voting, he chose not to seek a third term and returned to law and banking. He delivered his final speech in the House on January 29, 1901. "This is perhaps the Negroes' temporary farewell to the American Congress," he said, "but let me say, Phoenix
-like he will rise up some day and come again. These parting words are in behalf of an outraged, heart-broken, bruised and bleeding, but God-fearing people; faithful, industrious, loyal, rising people – full of potential force."
White's farewell speech was referenced by President Barack Obama
in his remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday, September 26, 2009, in Washington, DC.
, a nationwide civil rights organization created in 1898. He served several terms as one of nine national vice presidents, and was twice an unsuccessful candidate for the Council's presidency. White moved in 1906 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, where he practiced law and operated a commercial savings bank. He also founded the town of Whitesboro, N.J., as a real estate development. After the Council dissolved in 1908, he was also an early member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
, which formed its Philadelphia chapter in 1913. He died in Philadelphia in 1918, and is buried at Eden Cemetery nearby.
White was married four times. His first wife, Fannie Randolph White, died in 1880; his second wife, Nancy Scott White, died in 1882; and his third wife, Cora Lena Cherry White, died in 1905. His fourth wife, Ellen Avant Macdonald White, survived him, along with two of his four children, Mary (Mamie) White (1887–1974) and his only son, George H. White, Jr. (1893–1927). Two other daughters died before 1918: Della White Garrett (1880–1916), and Beatrice Odessa White (1891–1892).
The town of Tarboro
, where White lived during his tenure in Congress, has celebrated "George White Day" since 2002. On the eighth annual commemoration, a state highway historical marker was dedicated in Tarboro.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
between 1897 and 1901. He is considered the last African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Congressman of the Reconstruction era, although his election came twenty years after the era's "official" end. By the time of his election, Reconstruction had long since been overturned throughout almost all of the South, making it impossible for blacks to be elected to federal office. However, in North Carolina, "fusion politics"
Electoral fusion
Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate...
between the Populist
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
and Republican parties led to a brief period of Republican and African American political success from 1894 to 1900. After White left office, no other black American would serve in Congress until Oscar De Priest was elected in 1928; no other black American would be elected to Congress from the South until after the Civil Rights Movement
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
of the 1960s; Barbara Jordan
Barbara Jordan
Barbara Charline Jordan was an American politician who was both a product and a leader, of the Civil Rights movement. She was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first southern black female elected to the United States House of Representatives...
of Texas and Andrew Young
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
of Georgia were elected in 1972, and Harold Ford, Sr.
Harold Ford, Sr.
Harold Eugene Ford, Sr. was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing the Memphis, Tennessee area for ten terms—from 1975 until his retirement in 1997. He was the first African-American to represent Tennessee in the U.S...
of Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
was elected in 1974.
Early life and education
Born in Rosindale, North Carolina, White was at one time believed to have been born into slavery. However, Benjamin R. Justesen’s 2001 biography of White showed considerable evidence that George White was raised as a free black, as was his father Wiley. However there is some indication that George, like his older brother John, may have been born to a slave woman that his father never married. White first attended private "old field" schools, before entering public schools after the Civil War. He was then educated at Whitin Normal School in Lumberton, N.C., before entering Howard UniversityHoward University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1874. After graduating from Howard in 1877, he studied law privately under Judge William J. Clarke and was admitted to the North Carolina bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1879, practicing in New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
. He taught school in New Bern and later became principal of the New Bern State Normal School, one of four training institutions for African American teachers created by the legislature in 1881.
Political career
White entered politics as a Republican in 1880. He was elected to a single term in the North Carolina House of RepresentativesNorth Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
in 1880, and then to the North Carolina Senate
North Carolina Senate
The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...
in 1884 from Craven County
Craven County, North Carolina
Craven County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The estimated population in 2006 was 94,875. Its county seat is New Bern.Craven County is part of the New Bern, North Carolina, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. In 1886, he was elected solicitor and prosecuting attorney for the second judicial district of North Carolina, a post he held until 1894.
A delegate to the 1896 and 1900 Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
s, White was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1896 (over incumbent Frederick A. Woodard) from the predominantly black Second District
North Carolina's 2nd congressional district
North Carolina's 2nd congressional district is located in the central and eastern parts of the state. Today, the district, which is represented by Republican Rep...
, and re-elected in a three-way race in 1898. During his tenure he arranged the appointments of a number of African American postmasters across his district, with the assistance of the state's Republican senator, Jeter C. Pritchard. White also introduced the first bill in Congress condemning lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
. As North Carolina Democrats changed laws and intimidated blacks from voting, he chose not to seek a third term and returned to law and banking. He delivered his final speech in the House on January 29, 1901. "This is perhaps the Negroes' temporary farewell to the American Congress," he said, "but let me say, Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
-like he will rise up some day and come again. These parting words are in behalf of an outraged, heart-broken, bruised and bleeding, but God-fearing people; faithful, industrious, loyal, rising people – full of potential force."
White's farewell speech was referenced by President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in his remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday, September 26, 2009, in Washington, DC.
Later life
White was an early officer in the National Afro-American CouncilNational Afro-American Council
The National Afro-American Council, the first nationwide civil rights organization in the United States, was created in 1898 in Rochester, New York...
, a nationwide civil rights organization created in 1898. He served several terms as one of nine national vice presidents, and was twice an unsuccessful candidate for the Council's presidency. White moved in 1906 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, where he practiced law and operated a commercial savings bank. He also founded the town of Whitesboro, N.J., as a real estate development. After the Council dissolved in 1908, he was also an early member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
, which formed its Philadelphia chapter in 1913. He died in Philadelphia in 1918, and is buried at Eden Cemetery nearby.
White was married four times. His first wife, Fannie Randolph White, died in 1880; his second wife, Nancy Scott White, died in 1882; and his third wife, Cora Lena Cherry White, died in 1905. His fourth wife, Ellen Avant Macdonald White, survived him, along with two of his four children, Mary (Mamie) White (1887–1974) and his only son, George H. White, Jr. (1893–1927). Two other daughters died before 1918: Della White Garrett (1880–1916), and Beatrice Odessa White (1891–1892).
The town of Tarboro
Tarboro, North Carolina
Tarboro is a city located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. It is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the town had a total population of 13,121. It is the county seat of Edgecombe County. Tarboro is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region...
, where White lived during his tenure in Congress, has celebrated "George White Day" since 2002. On the eighth annual commemoration, a state highway historical marker was dedicated in Tarboro.
See also
- African Americans in the United States CongressAfrican Americans in the United States CongressAfrican Americans began serving in greater numbers in the United States Congress during the Reconstruction Era following the American Civil War after slaves were emancipated and granted citizenship rights. Freedmen gained political representation in the Southern United States for the first time...
- Henry P. CheathamHenry P. CheathamHenry Plummer Cheatham was an African American Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1889 to 1893.-Early life:...
External links
- Defense of the Negro Race--Charges Answered. Speech of Hon. George H. White, of North Carolina, in the House of Representatives, January 29, 1901.
- Fusion Politics in 1890s North Carolina
- North Carolina Election of 1898