Jesse White (politician)

Jesse White
White in 2015
37th Secretary of State of Illinois
In office
January 11, 1999 – January 9, 2023
Governor
Preceded byGeorge Ryan
Succeeded byAlexi Giannoulias
Cook County Recorder of Deeds
In office
December 1, 1992 – January 11, 1999
Preceded byCarol Moseley Braun
Succeeded byEugene Moore
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
In office
January 8, 1975 – December 1, 1992
Preceded byJames Houlihan
Succeeded byRobert LeFlore
Constituency8th district (1983–1992)
13th district (1975–1983)
Personal details
Born
Jesse Clark White

(1934-06-23) June 23, 1934 (age 90)
Alton, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children1
EducationAlabama State University (BA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1957–1959
Unit101st Airborne Division
 • Illinois National Guard

Jesse Clark White (born June 23, 1934) is an American educator, politician and former athlete from the State of Illinois. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 37th Secretary of State of Illinois from 1999 to 2023. He was the longest-serving American to hold this office. A popular office holder, White declined to seek reelection in 2022 for a seventh term.[1] Previously, he served as the Cook County Recorder of Deeds from 1993 to 1999 and in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1975 to 1993.

Raised in Chicago, White attended Alabama State University on a sports scholarship. He was a minor league baseball player in the 1950s and 1960s. During that time, he also formed a youth sports and community organization, the Jesse White Tumbling Team, which has continued throughout his several careers. White went on to become a teacher and administrator in the Chicago Public Schools.

  1. ^ "Jesse White won't seek re-election in 2022". WAND-TV. Retrieved August 15, 2019.