White, Mark, 1940-

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1940-03-17

Biographical notes:

Mark Wells White, Jr. was born in Henderson, Texas on March 17, 1940. He attended Houston public schools and Baylor University, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1962 and a law degree from Baylor Law School in 1965. White worked briefly in a private legal practice in Houston before serving three years as an Assistant Attorney General. In 1969, he returned to Houston to a private practice until 1973 when Governor Dolph Briscoe appointed him Secretary of State.

White resigned as Secretary of State in October 1977 in order to run for Attorney General. After being elected and serving as Attorney General from 1979 to 1983, he ran against and defeated Governor Bill Clements in the 1982 governor's race. Governor Mark White served as head of the state from January 18, 1983 to January 20, 1987.

During his term in office, White focused his energies on education reform (HB 72, including no-pass/no-play) and utility rate regulation. White also concentrated on economic development and the appointment of minorities to positions on his staff and in the government. Texas' Sesquicentennial occurred in 1986, and the Governor attended and hosted a number of events. The Goddess of Liberty atop the Texas Capitol was restored and planning for Capitol restoration began during White's term in office.

White was defeated by Clements in the 1986 election and returned to private life after his term ended in January 1987. He ran for governor in the Democratic primary in 1990 but lost to Ann Richards. Mark White and his wife Linda Gale Thompson have two sons and a daughter.

Source: University of Texas [http://www.laits.utexas.edu/txp_media/html/exec/governors/29.html]

From the guide to the White, Mark, Papers 2009-119., 1970s-1990s, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

Links to collections

Comparison

This is only a preview comparison of Constellations. It will only exist until this window is closed.

  • Added or updated
  • Deleted or outdated

Information

Permalink:
SNAC ID:

Subjects:

  • Advertising, political
  • Radio advertising
  • Television advertising

Occupations:

not available for this record

Places:

not available for this record

SNAC Cooperative Logo

Social Networks and Archival Context

SNAC is a discovery service for persons, families, and organizations found within archival collections at cultural heritage institutions.

Sponsors

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Institute of Museum and Library Services
National Endowment for the Humanities

Hosts

University of Virginia Library
National Archives and Records Administration