Cecil F. White
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{infobox officeholder
| name = Cecil F. White
| image = Cecil F. White (California Congressman).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = White, {{circa|1949}}
| state = California
| district = {{ushr|CA|9|9th}}
| term_start = January 3, 1949
| term_end = January 3, 1951
| predecessor = Bertrand W. Gearhart
| successor = Allan O. Hunter
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1900|12|12}}
| birth_place = Temple, Texas, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1992|3|29|1900|12|12}}
| death_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.
| party = Democratic
| father = James Bernard White
| mother = Massie Bedford
| spouse = Mildred Willis
| children = 4
| relatives =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = {{Hlist|Rancher|politician}}
| allegiance = United States
| branch = United States Army
| branch_label = Branch
| serviceyears = 1916–1919
| rank = sergeant
| battles = Mexican Expedition
World War I
| battles_label = Conflict
}}
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 for California's 9th congressional district for one term, from 1949 to 1951.{{cite web | title = Cecil Fielding White Information | publisher = The Political Graveyard | author = Lawrence Kestenbaum | author-link = Lawrence Kestenbaum | url = http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/white2.html | access-date = 2007-01-01 }} White was a cotton broker and owned his own ranch before getting into politics at the age of 47, and defeating seven-term incumbent Republican Bertrand W. Gearhart.{{cite magazine | title = Face of the Victor | magazine = Time | date = November 15, 1948 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,853399,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090703163200/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,853399,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 3, 2009 | access-date = 2007-01-01 }}
Background
White was born in Temple, Texas, on December 12, 1900, the son of James Bernard and Massie (née Bedford) White.{{cite web|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=msu.31293012374082&view=1up&seq=34|title=Official congressional directory|work=United States Congress|year=1950|access-date=2022-01-18}} His family moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where White grew up and went through the city's public schooling system.{{cite web | title = Cecil Fielding White Profile | publisher = United States Congress | url = http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000359 | access-date = 2007-01-01 }} At the age of sixteen, he joined the Arkansas Army National Guard and served on the border with Mexico during the Pancho Villa Expedition. During World War I, White fought in France 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, California and Tennessee. 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92941495/the-reedley-exponent/|title=Candidate's Family|work=The Reedley Exponent|date=1948-05-13|access-date=2022-01-18}}
Politics
As a 47-year-old cotton rancher, White ran for the United States House of Representatives seat in California's 9th congressional district. 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.{{cite book |editor=John L. Moore |title=Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections|edition= 3rd |year= 1994 |publisher=Congressional Quarterly |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=0-87187-996-4 |page=1543}} pg. 1209 White was challenged in 1950 by Republican Allan O. Hunter. Hunter defeated White, 52.0% to 48%.Moore (1994), pg. 1214 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, until his death on March 29, 1992. His remains were cremated.{{cite news |date=March 31, 1992 |title=Cecil F. White, 91, Former Fresno-Area Congressman |newspaper=Fresno Bee |location=Fresno, CA}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{CongBio|W000359}}
- [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/white2.html Cecil F. White] at The Political Graveyard
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{{US House succession box
| state=California
| district=9
| before=Bertrand W. Gearhart
| years = 1949–1951
| after=Allan O. Hunter}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Cecil F.}}
Category:San Francisco Bay Area politicians
Category:California Republicans
Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives