White, John, 1802-1845

Hide Profile

John White (February 14, 1802 – September 22, 1845) was a prominent US politician during the 1840s.

White was a native of Kentucky and practiced law there. White was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1832. He served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1841 to 1843, and was a member of the United States Congress from 1835 to 1845.

On April 23, 1844, White was involved in a physical confrontation on the House floor with Democratic Congressman George O. Rathbun of New York. White was delivering a speech in defense of Senator Henry Clay, the Whig nominee for President in that year's presidential election, and objected to a ruling from the Speaker denying him time to conclude his remarks. When Rathbun told White to be quiet, White confronted him and their disagreement lead to a fistfight between the two with dozens of their colleagues rushing to break up the fight. During the disturbance, an unknown visitor fired a pistol into the crowd, wounding a police officer. Both White and Rathbun subsequently apologized for their actions.

White was appointed judge of the nineteenth judicial district of Kentucky and served in that capacity from February 8, 1845, until his death in Richmond, Kentucky on September 22, 1845.

White's 1st cousin, Addison White was a congressman from Kentucky as the same time representing the 6th District. Their shared nephew, John Daugherty White, would also go on to represent Kentucky's 9th district in the late 1870s.

White is buried in the Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Smith, R. A. Letter. 10 September 1845. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
referencedIn James K. Polk papers, 1775-1891 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf White, John, 1802-1845. Letters, 1838-1842. The Filson Historical Society
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Brown, Orlando, 1801-1867. person
memberOf Kentucky. General Assembly. House of Representatives corporateBody
associatedWith Smith, R. A. person
memberOf United States. Congress. House of Representatives corporateBody
associatedWith Whig Party (U.S.) corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Richmond KY US
Middlesboro KY US
Subject
Presidents
Occupation
Judges
Jurists
Lawyers
Representatives, U.S. Congress
Speakers of the House, U.S. Congress
State Representative
Activity

Person

Birth 1802-02-14

Death 1845-09-22

Male

Americans

English

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66x2q5p

Ark ID: w66x2q5p

SNAC ID: 50769198