Charles A. White (July 7, 1881 – October 7, 1925) was an American

organized labor The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

lobbyist Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, in ...

and politician. He was born in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, to Sarah Householder and Jesse Alexander White. Married Ruth Lillian Shaw from Ohio. Died October 7, 1925, Detroit, Michigan, buried in

Woodlawn Cemetery Woodlawn Cemetery is the name of several cemeteries, including: Canada * Woodlawn Cemetery (Saskatoon) * Woodlawn Cemetery (Nova Scotia) United States ''(by state then city or town)'' * Woodlawn Cemetery (Ocala, Florida), where Isaac Rice and fa ...

Ada, Ohio Ada ( ) is a village in Hardin County, Ohio, United States, located about southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 5,334. It is the home of Ohio Northern University. History Followi ...

. Charles left Knoxville during the early 1900s and went to St. Louis, Missouri. 1903 he began working as a conductor on an

interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

railway in

St. Clair County, Illinois St. Clair County is the ninth most populous county in Illinois. Located directly east of St. Louis, the county is part of the Metro East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in southern Illinois. As of the 2020 United States ...

. He joined the car men's union and soon became an active member and a champion of organized labor. White was heavily involved in the union and in 1907 was selected as one of the Representatives of organized labor to attend the Session of the 45th

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...

. He was a "labor lobbyist." He was only 24 years old. In 1908 he became a candidate from St. Clair County for the next Legislature. He was elected in November, 1908, by a large vote. White found corruption in the Legislature and took it upon himself to expose it. One of the main issues was

bribery Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or Offer and acceptance, acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official ...

. The

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

carried stories about him. With this exposure, White lost his popularity. He called it the "Jackpot Exposure." He was crucified for his findings. William A. Prentiss wrote a booklet about Charles White telling his stories. In 1909 the Chicago Tribune paid Charles White $3,250 to publish his findings in the newspaper. After Charles gave the Tribune his story, they printed it to make him look like the "bad guy." Charles White was, at that time, the youngest member of the Illinois Legislature.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Charles A. 1881 births 1925 deaths People from St. Clair County, Illinois Politicians from Knoxville, Tennessee American workers' rights activists Members of the Illinois House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly