Albert Smith White

Who was Albert Smith White?

Albert Smith White was a U.S. Senator and Representative from the state of Indiana.

White was born in Orange County, New York. He graduated from Union College in Schenectady in 1822, after which he studied law; he entered practice as a lawyer in 1825. After a time he moved to Lafayette, Indiana, where he worked as the assistant clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1831–32, moving up to the full clerkship in 1832-35. He also ran for the House in 1832, but was defeated.

1836 proved a more successful year for White; he served as a presidential elector on the Whig ticket, and was himself elected as a Whig to the 25th Congress. After a single term in the House, White ran for the Senate in the 1838 election.

White won election to the Senate, where he served as chairman of two committees: the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses, and the Committee on Indian Affairs. White declined to stand for reelection.