Richard Crawford White

Who was Richard Crawford White?

Richard Crawford White was a Democratic politician from El Paso, Texas, who served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1955 to 1959 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1983.

Born in El Paso, Texas, White graduated from Dudley Primary School, El Paso High School, and the Citizens' Military Training Camp at San Antonio, Texas. Subsequently, from 1940 to 1942, he attended the University of Texas at El Paso, then known as Texas Western College.

After his second year of college, White began his World War II service from 1942 to 1945 in the United States Marine Corps as a rifleman and Japanese-English interpreter in the Pacific Theater. As a result of injuries suffered, he was awarded the Purple Heart.

Returning to Texas after the war, White received his bachelor's degree in 1946 from the University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. in 1949 from the University of Texas School of Law. He was admitted to the Texas state bar in 1949 and returned to El Paso to begin his legal career. He served two-year terms in the Texas House of Representatives, having been elected in 1954 and 1956. He was the El Paso County Democratic chairman from 1963 to 1965.