William J. White

Who was William J. White?

William John White was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.

Born at Rice Lake, Ontario, Canada, White moved to the United States in 1857 with his parents, who settled in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the district schools. He entered business as a candy maker in 1869, and later began the manufacture of chewing gum. He served as mayor of West Cleveland in 1889.

White was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-third Congress. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1894. He was first president of the American Chicle Co. and later president of the W.J. White Chicle Co.. He died in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 16, 1923. He was interred in Lake View Cemetery.