Mark White

Mark White - Former Governor of Texas, Career and Childhood

Violet FieldHome › AmericanMark WhiteMarch 17, 1940271 views

0 based on 0 rates
Mark White Biography Stories 

Mark White's Personal Details

Mark White is an American lawyer and former Governor of Texas

InformationDetail
BirthdayMarch 17, 1940
NationalityAmerican
FamousDemocrats, Lawyers & Judges, Political Leaders, Former Governor of Texas
IdeologiesDemocrats
SpousesLinda Gale Thompson
Known asMark Wells White Jr.
Universities
  • Lamar High School
  • Houston
  • TX (1958)
  • BA Business Administration
  • Baylor University (1962)
  • JD
  • Baylor University (1965)
Birth PlaceLongview
Political IdeologyDemocratic Party
ReligionBaptist
Height171
GenderMale
FatherMark Wells White Sr.
MotherSarah Elizabeth White
Net Worth$0.26 Million as of April 4,2017
Sun SignPisces
Born inLongview
Famous asFormer Governor of Texas

// Famous Former Governor of Texas

Sam Houston

Sam Houston

Sam Houston was a 19th century politician who played a key role in the creation of the state of Texas. This biography of Sam Houston provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.

Mark White's photo

Who is Mark White?

A lawyer by profession, Mark White got involved in politics at an early age, and strived to improve the state of Texas in his capacity as the governor. After receiving his degree in Business Administration from Baylor University, he went on to study law, and soon began practicing in the State Bar of Texas. During his tenure as Governor, Mark White was keen on bringing reforms so that the state’s reliance on oil industry would diversify, thereby reviving a dwindling Texan economy. He also brought in well-thought educational reforms to boost the condition of schools and teachers as he believed that students were the future of the state. Known to have sentenced many people to death when he was Governor, White’s decisions on capital punishments were taken after a lot of deliberation and study of eye-witness accounts. He was the chairman and member of various organizations of law enforcement and crime prevention. All the causes he fought for were ultimately aimed at improving his state. He ran for a second term for the governor’s office, but was unsuccessful.

// Famous Lawyers & Judges

Sunny Hostin

Sunny Hostin

Sunny Hostin is an American lawyer, social commentator, columnist and journalist. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her.

Thomas Girardi

Thomas Girardi

Thomas Girardi is an American attorney who co-founded the law firm, Girardi & Keese. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.

Jerry Sheindlin

Jerry Sheindlin

Jerry Sheindlin is an American judge, author, and television personality. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.

Childhood & Early Life

Mark White was born on March 17, 1940 to Mark Wells Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth, in Henderson, Rusk County, Texas. His family moved from Henderson to Houston, shortly after his birth.

He attended several public schools and graduated from Lamar High School in 1958. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Baylor University four years later.

He then joined Baylor Law School and obtained Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1965. After being admitted to the State Bar of Texas, he practiced law privately and shortly afterwards, began his public service as assistant attorney general in the insurance, banking and securities division.

Career

He served in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard besides doing public service. In 1969, he practiced law with the firm Reynolds, Allen and Cook for four years.

In 1973, he was appointed the Secretary of State of Texas, under Governor Dolph Briscoe. He streamlined the legal operations and made the services more responsive to the public, during his tenure.

In 1977, he was elected president of the National Association of the Secretaries of State, the youngest ever to be in office. This was the association’s highest office - and White was also elected secretary and treasurer earlier.

He stood for elections for the State Attorney General and easily defeated his rival from the Republican Party. In 1979, White became the 46th Attorney General of Texas and co-chaired the Federal-State Law Enforcement Coordination Committee.

Besides being the Attorney General, he was a member of the Governor's Organized Crime Prevention Council. He was also elected the chairman of the Southern Conference of Attorney Generals in 1981, which was an appointment at national level.

White sought governorship over serving as Attorney General. Winning by a wide margin, he was appointed the 43rd Governor of Texas, in 1983, a post he held for four years.

Having relied on the oil industry for long, Texas was in turmoil when oil prices declined. The economy went into recession creating chaos in the Texas governance and making it unstable.

As governor, his main aim was to preserve the state’s resources and enhance its economy and education. He also focussed on stabilizing the volatile economy and diversifying it, so that the state relied less on one single industry.

White also worked to improve the conditions of transportation, water resources and law enforcement. He brought in some tax reforms to try and lure new industries, to shift focus from the reliance on the oil industry.

Education was another area of importance for Mark White, since he believed that children were the resource of the future. He sought to improve performance levels in the state as well as ensure better quality of teaching by enhancing their salaries.

As governor, an important job was to oversee death sentences and executions, a job that required shrewd jurisdiction. White always reviewed each of the evidences painstakingly, to ensure that the executions were just and fair.

In the Sesquicentennial of Texas in 1986, he hosted a number of events in his capacity as governor. He commissioned the renovation of Texas State Capitol and also the restoration of the statue of the Goddess of Liberty, one of the most important landmarks of Texas.

His advisors comprised of prominent industrialists and senators. Industrialist H. Ross Perrot and State Senator Max Sherman were two such advisors to White.

Seeking a second term as governor in the 1986 general election, White lost out to his rival. According to popular opinion, one of the reasons for his downfall was his ‘No Pass, No Play’ policy in education, wherein, students who failed were barred from varsity games.

After his term as governor, White joined the law firm Keck, Mahin & Cate. He ran for the post of governor again in 1990, but was unsuccessful and was defeated by Ann Richards, a Democrat.

Currently, apart from being the president of GeoVox Company, White is also the Chairman of the Houston Independent School District Foundation. This is a non-profit organization that supports public schools in Houston.

Major Works

One of the major contributions made by White as a Governor was in the field of education – he was able to raise the performance standards of Texas students in Scholastic Aptitude Tests. In 1984, he appointed a committee on public education, passed the Education Opportunity Act, and also raised teachers’ salaries to improve quality.

White played a prominent role in preserving the Big 12 Conference of 2010, along with other prominent Texans, imploring all Big 12 schools to cooperate towards positive changes. The Big 12 Conference, an athletic conference of ten colleges, competing in football games, had begun to crumble after differences broke out among members.

Awards & Achievements:

Mark White was honored with the Baylor University Meritorious Achievement Award, Pro Texana/Medal of Service, in the year 2011-12. The award honors an individual whose contributions have furthered the missions of the Baylor University and have made a commendable impact in the public or non-profit sector.

White has always stood up in support of minorities and strived to include them into mainstream governance. Elma Salinas Ender was the first Hispanic woman to be appointed by him as a judge in a district court in Texas.

Personal Life & Legacy

Mark White is married to Linda Gale Thompson, whom he met as a student of Baylor University, while pursuing his BBA. They have three children, Mark III, Andrew and Elizabeth.

White was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer at the age of 67. However, he has survived the disease with support from his doctor, family, friends and faith in religion.

Trivia

While serving as governor of Texas, this charismatic lawyer, made a cameo appearance in the TV soap opera, ‘Dallas’. The story revolves around a rich and feuding Texan family that owned oil fields and cattle ranches in Texas.

// Famous Political Leaders

Edi Rama

Edi Rama

Edi Rama is the current Prime Minister of Albania. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.

Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the current President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Check out this biography to know about his birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.

Leo Varadkar

Leo Varadkar

Cam Leo Varadkar is the current Taoiseach—the Prime Minister—of the Republic of Ireland. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and other facts about his life.

Mark White biography timelines

  • // 17th Mar 1940
    Mark White was born on March 17, 1940 to Mark Wells Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth, in Henderson, Rusk County, Texas. His family moved from Henderson to Houston, shortly after his birth.
  • // 1958
    He attended several public schools and graduated from Lamar High School in 1958. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Baylor University four years later.
  • // 1965
    He then joined Baylor Law School and obtained Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1965. After being admitted to the State Bar of Texas, he practiced law privately and shortly afterwards, began his public service as assistant attorney general in the insurance, banking and securities division.
  • // 1969
    He served in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard besides doing public service. In 1969, he practiced law with the firm Reynolds, Allen and Cook for four years.
  • // 1973
    In 1973, he was appointed the Secretary of State of Texas, under Governor Dolph Briscoe. He streamlined the legal operations and made the services more responsive to the public, during his tenure.
  • // 1977
    In 1977, he was elected president of the National Association of the Secretaries of State, the youngest ever to be in office. This was the association’s highest office - and White was also elected secretary and treasurer earlier.
  • // 1979
    He stood for elections for the State Attorney General and easily defeated his rival from the Republican Party. In 1979, White became the 46th Attorney General of Texas and co-chaired the Federal-State Law Enforcement Coordination Committee.
  • // 1981
    Besides being the Attorney General, he was a member of the Governor's Organized Crime Prevention Council. He was also elected the chairman of the Southern Conference of Attorney Generals in 1981, which was an appointment at national level.
  • // 1983
    White sought governorship over serving as Attorney General. Winning by a wide margin, he was appointed the 43rd Governor of Texas, in 1983, a post he held for four years.
  • // 1984
    One of the major contributions made by White as a Governor was in the field of education – he was able to raise the performance standards of Texas students in Scholastic Aptitude Tests. In 1984, he appointed a committee on public education, passed the Education Opportunity Act, and also raised teachers’ salaries to improve quality.
  • // 1986
    In the Sesquicentennial of Texas in 1986, he hosted a number of events in his capacity as governor. He commissioned the renovation of Texas State Capitol and also the restoration of the statue of the Goddess of Liberty, one of the most important landmarks of Texas.
  • // 1986
    Seeking a second term as governor in the 1986 general election, White lost out to his rival. According to popular opinion, one of the reasons for his downfall was his ‘No Pass, No Play’ policy in education, wherein, students who failed were barred from varsity games.
  • // 1990
    After his term as governor, White joined the law firm Keck, Mahin & Cate. He ran for the post of governor again in 1990, but was unsuccessful and was defeated by Ann Richards, a Democrat.
  • // 2010
    White played a prominent role in preserving the Big 12 Conference of 2010, along with other prominent Texans, imploring all Big 12 schools to cooperate towards positive changes. The Big 12 Conference, an athletic conference of ten colleges, competing in football games, had begun to crumble after differences broke out among members.
  • // 2011
    Mark White was honored with the Baylor University Meritorious Achievement Award, Pro Texana/Medal of Service, in the year 2011-12. The award honors an individual whose contributions have furthered the missions of the Baylor University and have made a commendable impact in the public or non-profit sector.

// Famous Democrats

Milo Ventimiglia

Milo Ventimiglia

Milo Ventimiglia is an American actor who became famous for his role as Peter Petrelli on the NBC television series Heroes. This biography profiles his childhood, early life, career, major works, awards, personal life, legacy and timeline.

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert is an American comedian and satirist. Read the biography to learn all about his childhood, career, profile and timeline.

Pancho Villa

Pancho Villa

Pancho Villa is one of the most renowned names of the ‘Mexican Revolution’ who was also the Governor of Chihuahua. This biography provides detailed information about his childhood, profile, career and timeline

Justin Randall Timberlake

Justin Randall Timberlake

Justin Timberlake is an award winning American singer, actor and songwriter. Read this biography to learn more about his childhood, profile, life and timeline.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was the the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and other facts related to her life.

Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright is an American politician and a former United States Secretary of State and Ambassador to the United Nations. This biography provides detailed information about her childhood, life, career, achievements and timeline.

Mark White's FAQ

  • What is Mark White birthday?

    Mark White was born at 1940-03-17

  • Where is Mark White's birth place?

    Mark White was born in Longview

  • What is Mark White nationalities?

    Mark White's nationalities is American

  • What is Mark White ideologies?

    Mark White's ideologies is Democrats

  • Who is Mark White spouses?

    Mark White's spouses is Linda Gale Thompson

  • What was Mark White universities?

    Mark White studied at Lamar High School, Houston, TX (1958), BA Business Administration, Baylor University (1962), JD, Baylor University (1965)

  • What is Mark White's political ideology?

    Mark White's political ideology is Democratic Party

  • What is Mark White's religion?

    Mark White's religion is Baptist

  • How tall is Mark White?

    Mark White's height is 171

  • Who is Mark White's father?

    Mark White's father is Mark Wells White Sr.

  • Who is Mark White's mother?

    Mark White's mother is Sarah Elizabeth White

  • What is Mark White's sun sign?

    Mark White is Pisces

  • How famous is Mark White?

    Mark White is famouse as Former Governor of Texas