Compton I. White

Compton I. White, Sr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's 1st district
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951
Preceded by	Abe Goff
Succeeded by	John Travers Wood
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's 1st district
In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1947
Preceded by	Burton French
Succeeded by	Abe Goff
Personal details
Born	July 31, 1877 Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Died	March 31, 1956 (aged 78) Spokane, Washington
Resting place	White Family Cemetery Clark Fork, Idaho
Nationality	United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Josephine Elizabeth Bunn White (1891–1951)[1][2] (m. 1915–1951, her death)
Children	Compton I. White, Jr. (1920–1998) Enid Mary White McConnell (1922–1958)[2][3][4]
Residence	Clark Fork
Alma mater	Gonzaga College, 1897
Profession	Railroad, Agriculture, Mining
Religion	Catholic[3]

Compton Ignatius White, Sr. (July 31, 1877 – March 31, 1956) was a congressman from northern Idaho. A Democrat, he represented the first district and served a total of eight terms and chaired a committee.

Early years

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Compton White moved during early childhood to Rankin County, Mississippi, and then to Clark Fork, Idaho in 1890. As a young man he delivered newspapers while attending school in the Clark Fork community.^[5] He attended Metropolitan Business College in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from Gonzaga College in Spokane, Washington in 1897.

Career

He worked on railroads in a number of capacities, as a trainman, conductor, and telegraph operator, until 1910.^[3] After this stretch, he worked in lumber, mining, and livestock raising; he was also a member of the Clark Fork Board of Trustees. In 1925, White received an unexpected windfall when a valuable mine of Galena ore was found on his property.^[5] It was this unexpected find that gave his family a small fortune and allowed him to become a real player in Idaho politics.^[5] He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1928, 1932, and 1936, during which period he rose to prominence as a politician.

Congress

White first sought election to Congress during the 1930 election; he gained the Democratic nomination, but was soundly defeated by longtime Republican incumbent Burton French of Moscow. Both were nominated again in 1932 and White unseated French as Franklin D. Roosevelt's landslide victory swept the nation.

Like many rural politicians during the Great Depression, White sought policies and legislation that enabled farmers in Idaho to stabilize their finances and enhance their agricultural output.^[6] White was also a supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, which helped thousands of families in Idaho from 1933 to 1939.^[7]

Due to a strong interest in reclamation projects in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest in general, White chaired the currently-defunct Irrigation committee while in congress, and also was a member of the Committee on Coins, Weights and Measures.^[8]

One of Congressman White's major accomplishments while in office was the acceptance and use of silver certificates by the Department of the Treasury. The Silver Purchase Act of 1934 was a major win for White and the silver mining industry in Idaho, Montana, and Colorado, as the federal government had purchased silver at prices well above market value, which enabled mine operators to remain in business during the Great Depression.^[9] Congressman White was also instrumental in bringing large irrigation projects to Idaho, including the Bonneville Dam project in 1938 and the Grand Coulee Dam project in 1941.^[10]

He sought re-election to an eighth term in the 1946 race, but was narrowly defeated by Republican Abe M. Goff of Moscow.^[11]

In the 1948 election, White defeated Goff and returned to the House, but had lost his seniority. In 1950, he sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, but it went to D. Worth Clark of Pocatello. At age 75, White sought the party's nomination in 1952 to regain his House seat in the first district, but lost to Gracie Pfost of Nampa.^[12][13] He retired from public life and died in Spokane in 1956, where he had lived for three years,^[14][15] and was buried in the family cemetery in Clark Fork.

His only son, Compton I. White, Jr. (1920–1998), was also elected to Congress from the first district, in 1962 and 1964. He lost elections in 1966 and 1968.

Election results

U.S. House elections (Idaho's 1st district): Results 1930–1948

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
1930		Compton White	18,657	35.1%		Burton French (inc.)	34,527	64.9%
1932		Compton White	42,784	54.9%		Burton French (inc.)	32,545	41.8%		A. Cornell	Liberty	2,614	3.4%
1934		Compton White (inc.)	42,323	62.0%		Burton French	25,969	38.0%
1936		Compton White (inc.)	58,941	70.3%		John Hackathorn	24,959	29.7%
1938		Compton White (inc.)	48,318	62.8%		Rex Hensen	28,640	37.2%
1940		Compton White (inc.)	62,107	62.0%		Edward Gaffney	37,999	38.0%
1942		Compton White (inc.)	30,105	54.1%		H. C. Baldridge	25,562	45.9%
1944		Compton White (inc.)	49,581	56.6%		Robert Brainard	37,998	43.4%
1946		Compton White (inc.)	36,509	49.4%		Abe Goff	37,326	50.6%
1948		Compton White	46,846	51.8%		Abe Goff (inc.)	41,404	45.7%		Thomas B. Wood	Progressive	2,176	2.4%	^

Source:^[16]    ^ 1948 election included 93 votes (0.1%) for Socialist Party candidate Richard M. Shaefer.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.

1. "Josephine Elizabeth (Bunn) White (1891–1951)". Find A Grave. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
2. "Mrs. Compton White dead of heart attack". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. October 23, 1951. p. 2.
3. The American Catholic Who's Who. Walter Romig. 1946–1947. p. 456.
4. "White/Bunn tree". Obliquity. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
5. Doyle, Randall (2004). A political dynasty in North Idaho, 1933-1967. University Press. p. 5. ISBN 0761828427.
6. Doyle, Randall (2004). A political dynasty in North Idaho, 1933-1967. University Press. p. 8. ISBN 0761828427.
7. Schwantes, Carlos (1991). In Mountain Shadows: a History of Idaho. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
8. Doyle, Randall (2004). A political dynasty in North Idaho, 1933-1967. University Press. p. 10. ISBN 0761828427.
9. White, Richard (1991). A new history of the American West. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
10. Doyle, Randall (2004). A political dynasty in North Idaho, 1933-1967. University Press. p. 11. ISBN 0761828427.
11. "Compton White reenters state political wars". Lewiston Morning Tribune. June 12, 1948. p. 12.
12. "Nominating votes assure rematch in Idaho race". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. August 13, 1952. p. 1.
13. Leeright, Bob (August 13, 1952). "Gracie Pfost and John Wood win nominations". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. p. 1.
14. "Compton I. White, congressman for 16 years, dead at Spokane". Lewiston Morning Tribune. April 1, 1956. p. 1.
15. "Compton I. White succumbs at 78". Spokesman-Review. April 1, 1956. p. 1.
16. "Office of the Clerk: Election statistics". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 11, 2013.

External links

• United States Congress. "Compton I. White (id: W000361)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Political Graveyard – Compton I. White
• Compton I. White at Find a Grave