Edward Douglass White Sr.

Edward Douglass White Sr. (March 3, 1795 – April 18, 1847) was tenth Governor of Louisiana and a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served five non-consecutive terms in Congress, as an adherent of Henry Clay of Kentucky and the Whig Party.

Edward Douglass White Sr.
10th Governor of Louisiana
In office February 4, 1835 – February 4, 1839
Preceded by	Andre B. Roman
Succeeded by	Andre B. Roman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 1st district
In office March 4, 1829 – November 15, 1834
Preceded by	Edward Livingston
Succeeded by	Henry Johnson
In office March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843
Preceded by	Henry Johnson
Succeeded by	John Slidell
Personal details
Born	March 3, 1795 Maury County, Tennessee
Died	(1847-04-18)April 18, 1847 (aged 52) New Orleans, Louisiana
Political party	Whig
Spouse(s)	Catherine Sidney Lee (Ringgold)[1]
Alma mater	University of Nashville (LL.B)

White was born in Maury County, Tennessee, the illegitimate son of James White. (Although his parents apparently never married, his father acknowledged him, and the circumstances of his birth did not impede his education or future success.) James White was a delegate to the Continental Congress. While a young boy, Edward moved with his father to Louisiana.

In 1815, White graduated from the former University of Nashville, afterward beginning a law practice in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, the seat of Ascension Parish, south of Baton Rouge. Ten years later, he was appointed by Governor Henry S. Johnson, also of Donaldsonville, as an Associate Judge of the New Orleans Municipal Court in 1825.

In 1834[2] he married Catherine Sidney Lee Ringgold, daughter of Tench Ringgold, long the US Marshal in the District of Columbia. Their children included Edward Douglass White Jr.

Elected to the 21st United States Congress in 1828, White served three terms from 1829 until his resignation in 1834 after being elected as governor. He served a single term as governor (1835–1839). Afterward, he was elected to the US Congress again, serving two more terms from 1839 until 1843.

White was among the survivors of the steamboat Lioness explosion that occurred on the Red River south of Natchitoches on May 19, 1833. He died in New Orleans and was buried at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Thibodaux, Louisiana. His home in Thibodaux is now operated by the Louisiana State Museum as the Edward Douglass White Historic Site.[2]

White's son Edward Douglass White Jr. was elected by the state legislature as a United States senator from Louisiana. He was appointed as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, later appointed 9th Chief Justice by U.S. President William Howard Taft.