Edward Douglass White, Sr.

Who was Edward Douglass White, Sr.?

Edward Douglass White, Sr. was the tenth Governor of Louisiana and a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served five nonconsecutive terms in Congress as an adherent of Henry Clay of Kentucky and the Whig Party.

White was born in Maury County, Tennessee, the illegitimate son of James White. While a young boy, he moved to Louisiana with his father.

In 1815, he graduated from the former University of Nashville, afterward beginning a law practice in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, the seat of Ascension Parish south of Baton Rouge.

He was appointed by Governor Henry S. Johnson, also of Donaldsonville, as an Associate Judge of the New Orleans Municipal Court in 1825.

Elected to the 21st United States Congress, White served three terms from 1829 until his resignation in 1834. He then served a single term as governor and was elected to Congress again and served two more terms from 1839 until 1843. He died in New Orleans and was buried at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Thibodaux, Louisiana.