Edward Douglass White

Edward Douglass White
White in 1905
9th Chief Justice of the United States
In office
December 19, 1910 – May 19, 1921[1]
Nominated byWilliam Howard Taft
Preceded byMelville Fuller
Succeeded byWilliam Howard Taft
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In office
March 12, 1894 – December 18, 1910[1]
Nominated byGrover Cleveland
Preceded bySamuel Blatchford
Succeeded byWillis Van Devanter
United States Senator
from Louisiana
In office
March 4, 1891 – March 12, 1894
Preceded byJames Eustis
Succeeded byNewton Blanchard
Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
In office
January 1879 – April 1880
Nominated byFrancis T. Nicholls
Preceded byWilliam B. Giles Egan
Personal details
Born
Edward Douglass White Jr.

(1845-11-03)November 3, 1845
Thibodaux, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedMay 19, 1921(1921-05-19) (aged 75)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeOak Hill Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Leita Montgomery Kent
(m. 1894)
EducationMount St. Mary's University (AB)
Georgetown University
Tulane University (LLB)
Signature

Edward Douglass White Jr. (November 3, 1845[2][3] – May 19, 1921) was an American politician and jurist. White, a native of Louisiana, was a U.S. Supreme Court justice for 27 years, first as an associate justice from 1894 to 1910, then as the ninth chief justice from 1910 until his death in 1921. White is known for siding with the Supreme Court majority in Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld the legality of state segregation.

Born in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, White practiced law in New Orleans after graduating from the University of Louisiana, now Tulane University. He also attended the College of the Immaculate Conception, present-day Jesuit High School in New Orleans, class of 1865. His father, Edward Douglass White Sr., was the 10th Governor of Louisiana and a Whig US Representative. White fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War and was captured in 1865. After the war, White won election to the Louisiana State Senate and served on the Louisiana Supreme Court. As a member of the Democratic Party, White represented Louisiana in the United States Senate from 1891 to 1894.

In 1894, President Grover Cleveland appointed White as an associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1910, President William Howard Taft elevated him to the position of chief justice. The appointment surprised many contemporaries, as Taft was a member of the Republican Party. White served as chief justice until his death in 1921, when he was succeeded by Taft.

White notably sided with the Supreme Court majority in Plessy v. Ferguson, upholding the legality of state segregation to provide "separate but equal" public facilities in the United States. White would go on to write notable opinions in landmark cases such as Talton v. Mayes, Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, Guinn v. United States, and the Selective Draft Law Cases.

  1. ^ a b "Justices 1789 to Present". www.supremecourt.gov. Washington, D.C.: Supreme Court of the United States. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  2. ^ Birth-Baptismal Record of Edouard Douglas White (Record Number: 1844-606) child of E.D. White and Sidney Ringgold, baptized December 30, 1844, in Thibodaux, LA by Rev. Chs. M. Menard. Date of birth November 3, 1844. Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Office of Archives, Historical Research Center, 205 Audubon Avenue, Thibodaux, LA 70301. Abstracted on April 8, 2008
  3. ^ Reeves, William D. (1999). Dr. James White, Governor E.D. White and Chief Justice Edward Douglass white of Louisiana. Thibodaux, Louisiana: The Friends of the Edward Douglass White Historic Site. p. 96. ISBN 1-887366-33-4.