Philo White, Jr., (June 23, 1796February 15, 1883) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

newspaper publisher, Democratic politician, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

pioneer. He was United States Minister (ambassador) to

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

during the presidency of

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

, and was a member of the first session of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

Early life

White was born in

Whitestown, New York Whitestown is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 18,667 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from Judge Hugh White, an early settler. The town is immediately west of Utica and the New York State Thruway (In ...

, on June 23, 1796. He was one of nine children born to Philo White (1767–1849) and Esther (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Holt) White (1764–1841). His paternal grandfather was Judge Hugh White, the namesake of Whitestown, New York, and a quartermaster during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. White obtained his early education at the Whitestown Seminary.

Career

In 1820, after spending a few years in a printing office in Utica, White moved to

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...

. From 1820 to 1830, White published the '' Western Carolinian''. From 1830 to 1834, he was a purchasing agent for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. From 1834 to 1836, he published the '' Raleigh Standard''. In 1836, he moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, and in 1844, he moved to

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...

, while serving as a Purser in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

. He later helped to establish and edited the ''Milwaukee Sentinel''. White also owned and published the '' Racine Advocate'' for a time and was active in the founding of

Racine College Racine College was an Episcopal preparatory school and college in Racine, Wisconsin, that operated between 1852 and 1933. Located south of the city along Lake Michigan, the campus has been maintained and is today known as the DeKoven Cent ...

. White, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, was a member of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature from 1847 to 1848, and in 1848 became a member of the first

from the 17th District, serving for a year; he was succeeded by Free Soiler

Victor Willard Victor Mauro Willard (1813December 10, 1869) was an American farmer and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as a delegate to Wisconsin's first constitutional convention and was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate in 1849 and 1850, representing Rac ...

. On July 18, 1853, White was appointed U.S.

Chargé d'affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...

. He presented his credentials on December 27, 1853, and served through his appointment by President

on June 29, 1854, as U.S. Minister to Ecuador, for which he presented his credentials on September 2, 1854. On February 25, 1856, he was nominated as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Ecuador but it was withdrawn before the Senate acted on it. White presented his recall on September 14, 1858, and was succeeded by

Charles R. Buckalew Charles Rollin Buckalew (December 28, 1821May 19, 1899) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician from Pennsylvania. He represented the state for one term in the United States Senate, wher ...

who was appointed by

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

Personal life

On May 9, 1822, White was married to Nancy R. Hampton (1816–1901) in

Rowan County, North Carolina Rowan County ( ),Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina Col ...

, the daughter of William and Mary Hampton. Together, they were the parents of two daughters: * Mary White (1824–1844), who married

John Willis Ellis John Willis Ellis (November 23, 1820 – July 7, 1861) was the 35th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1859 to 1861. He was born in Rowan County, North Carolina. Ellis attended the University of North Carolina, studied law under ...

of Salisbury, North Carolina on August 25, 1844. After her death, he remarried and later became the 35th

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...

. * Esther White (1830–1832), who died young. White died on February 15, 1883, in Whitestown, New York.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Philo People from Whitestown, New York People from Salisbury, North Carolina Politicians from Milwaukee Politicians from Racine, Wisconsin Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature Ambassadors of the United States to Ecuador 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature Editors of Wisconsin newspapers 1796 births 1883 deaths 19th-century American diplomats