Cecil Fielding White (December 12, 1900 – March 29, 1992) was an American farmer and politician. As a Democrat, White served as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for

California's 9th congressional district California's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Josh Harder, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, has represented the district since January 2023. Prior to redistricting by the Cali ...

for one term, from 1949 to 1951. White was a

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

broker and owned his own ranch before getting into politics at the age of 47, and defeating seven-term incumbent Republican Bertrand W. Gearhart.

Background

White was born in

Temple, Texas Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the city has a population of 82,073 according to the 2020 United States census, U.S. census. Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas and is a principal city in th ...

, on December 12, 1900, the son of James Bernard and Massie (née Bedford) White. His family moved to

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sebastian County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the pop ...

, where White grew up and went through the city's public schooling system. At the age of sixteen, he joined the Arkansas Army National Guard and served on the border with

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, White fought in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

as a sergeant in the 142nd Field Artillery Regiment, After the war, White worked in the Los Angeles office of a cotton broker and later worked with cotton mills in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. After going back to California, he became the owner and operator of his own ranch, under his name in Devils Den, California. He married Mildred Willis, and they had four children: Millicent, Donald, Douglas, and Bertram.

Politics

As a 47-year-old cotton rancher, White ran for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

seat in

. He faced seven-term Republican incumbent Bertrand W. Gearhart in the election. Gearhart had faced one Democratic challenger in his six previous re-election bids. White defeated Gearhart after capturing a 51.3% majority with a margin of victory of more than 6,000 votes. White was challenged in 1950 by Republican Allan O. Hunter. Hunter defeated White, 52.0% to 48%. After leaving Congress White returned to his cotton growing business. White again ran for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1966, this time as the Republican nominee for California's 16th congressional district.Moore (1994), pg. 1254 Democratic incumbent Bernice F. Sisk defeated White in a lopsided 71.3%–28.6% election. White remained a resident of

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, until his death on March 29, 1992. His remains were cremated.

References

External links

Cecil F. White
at ''The Political Graveyard'' {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Cecil F. 1900 births 1992 deaths San Francisco Bay Area politicians California Republicans Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives