Mark White (Texas politician)

Mark White
43rd Governor of Texas
In office
January 18, 1983 – January 20, 1987
LieutenantWilliam P. Hobby Jr.
Preceded byBill Clements
Succeeded byBill Clements
46th Attorney General of Texas
In office
January 19, 1979 – January 18, 1983
GovernorBill Clements
Preceded byJohn Hill
Succeeded byJim Mattox
74th Secretary of State of Texas
In office
January 19, 1973 – October 27, 1977
GovernorDolph Briscoe
Preceded byV. Larry Teaver Jr.
Succeeded bySteven C. Oaks
Personal details
Born
Mark Wells White Jr.

(1940-03-17)March 17, 1940
Henderson, Texas, U.S.
DiedAugust 5, 2017(2017-08-05) (aged 77)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Resting placeTexas State Cemetery
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Linda Thompson
(m. 1966)
Children3
EducationBaylor University (BBA, JD)
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
UnitTexas Army National Guard
 • 36th Infantry Division

Mark Wells White Jr. (March 17, 1940 – August 5, 2017) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 43rd governor of Texas from 1983 to 1987. He also held office as Secretary of State of Texas (1973–1977), and as Texas Attorney General (1979–1983).

White was elected governor in the 1982 gubernatorial election, defeating the incumbent Bill Clements.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, White sought to improve education, transportation, water resources, law enforcement, and taxes to lure new industry to Texas. He appointed the first Hispanic woman to serve as a judge of a district court in Texas, Elma Salinas Ender.[2] In the 1986 gubernatorial election, White lost to former Republican governor Clements, 52.7% to 46.0%.[3]

  1. ^ Texas Almanac
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Salinas was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Politico – Election Results". The Politico. Retrieved March 2, 2010.