Hugh L. White

Hugh Lawson White ( born August 19, 1882 in McComb, Mississippi, † September 20, 1965 ) was an American politician and 1936-1940 and 1952-1956 Governor of the State of Mississippi.

Early years and political rise

Hugh White attended to 1898 Soule 's Business College and studied at the University of Mississippi after. Then he began a successful business career, where he became a very rich man. He was owner of J. J. White Lumber Company and a member of the Democratic Party. Between 1926 and 1936 he was mayor of the city of Columbia. In November 1935 he was elected governor of his state.

Governor of Mississippi

Hugh White took up his new post on January 26, 1936. In his four-year first term, which ended on January 16, 1940, including the road network of the state were expanded, founded the highway patrol, and created a program to support both agriculture and industry. Due to a clause in the state constitution, the governor could not be re-elected in 1939 directly. Between 1944 and 1948, White was a member of the legislature of his state. In 1948 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, was nominated for the President Harry S. Truman for a second term.

In 1951, Hugh White was again elected governor of his state. His second term began on January 20, 1952 and ended on 17 January 1956. During this time, the integration of all students were in common schools for all breeds ( desegregation ) a major issue in the South. The Federal Government and the Supreme Court had declared that separate schools by race to be unconstitutional. Governor White was more an opponent of these measures. He developed a plan by which indeed improves the schools of African Americans and the teachers' salaries should be increased; the separation should also be maintained. This plan was rejected by the African Americans. At that time, there were also the first riots in Mississippi.

Further CV

After the end of his governorship, the 73 -year-old White withdrew from politics. He died in September 1965 and was buried in his hometown of McComb. The ex-governor was married to Judith Sugg.