Jesse White (politician)

Jesse White (politician)

Jesse Clark White (born June 23, 1934) is a Democratic American politician. He is currently the 37th and second-longest serving Secretary of State of Illinois, after James A. Rose, and the first African American to hold this position.

White was born in Alton, Illinois. He attended Alabama State University, where he played baseball and basketball, and he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1957. He served in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army from 1957–1959. In May 1995, White was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. He was an all-city baseball and basketball player at Chicago's Waller High School (now Lincoln Park High School) and was inducted into the Chicago Public League Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in June 1995. In 1999, he was inducted into the Alabama State University Sports Hall of Fame.

In 1959, White founded the Jesse White Tumbling Team to serve as a positive alternative for children residing in the Chicago area. Since its inception, more than 10,700 young men and women have performed with the team.

White served as a paratrooper in the United States Army’s 101st Airborne Division and as a member of the Illinois National Guard. He played minor league professional baseball with the Chicago Cubs organization, which was followed by a 33-year career with the Chicago Public Schools system as a teacher and administrator.

White became a political protégé of longtime Cook County Board President and 42nd Ward Democratic Committeeman George Dunne. White was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1974 and served for 16 years. He was elected Recorder of Deeds of Cook County, Illinois, in 1992 and re-elected in 1996. White was elected Secretary of State of Illinois in 1998, was re-elected in 2002, 2006, and 2010. In recent years he has also served as Democratic Committeeman of Chicago's 27th Ward.

Read more about Jesse White (politician):  As Secretary of State, Electoral History

Famous quotes containing the words jesse and/or white:

    But the dirty little coward that shot Mister Howard,
    He laid poor Jesse in his grave.
    —Unknown. Jesse James (l. Chorus)

    I can’t really hear the audience applause when I’m on stage. I’m totally immersed in the piece. But sometimes I get a lot of it and wonder, “Now, why did they applaud here?” If it’s a white crowd, they usually applaud because they think it’s a pretty movement. If it’s a black crowd, it’s usually because they identify with the message.
    Judith Jamison (b. 1944)