Alexander White

Background

Alexander White was born in Frederick County, Va. , the son of Robert White, a surgeon in the English navy, and his wife, Margaret, a daughter of a Virginia pioneer, William Hoge.

Education

He was educated at his father's alma mater, Edinburgh University, and afterward studied law in London at the Inner Temple in 1762 and at Gray's Inn in 1763.

Career

On his return to Virginia in 1765 White began to practise law and continued with marked success for nearly forty years. He served almost continuously as king's or state's attorney in several north-valley counties and interspersed his legal work with terms in legislative bodies. His legislative career began with a term in the Virginia House of Burgesses where he represented Hampshire County in 1772. As a burgess he was especially interested in questions of civil and religious liberty. He was not particularly active during the Revolution and was later vigorously attacked because of it. He ably championed the cause of the wealthy Quakers who were exiled to Virginia from Philadelphia because of their alleged Loyalist sympathies. His successful plea for them merited an ample reward but nearly brought disastrous results to his standing with the patriots of the Valley. Following the Revolution White served in the state assembly, 1782-86, and 1788. During this period he played a dominant part in advancing measures for religious liberty, for reform in the state court system, for the payment of British debts, for taxation reform and for strengthening the central government. He usually voted with Madison and was one of his ablest lieutenants. When the Virginia Federalists marshalled their forces for the ratification of the new Constitution in 1788 White proved to be their dominant leader in the northwestern part of the state. He wrote continually in the newspapers of that section in defense of the new Constitution and his constituency voted unanimously for ratification. He was chosen as a member of the First Congress in 1789 and was reëlected to the Second Congress. The tide of Jeffersonianism was, however, too strong for his continued conservative federalism and he returned to the practice of law. The two terms in Congress brought his public life to a close except for his service from 1795 to 1802, as one of the commissioners to lay out the new capital at Washington. However, he returned to the state assembly for a brief term (1799 - 1801) in the vain hope that he might help defeat the famous resolutions aimed at the Alien and Sedition Acts. As a member of Congress White's chief interests lay in the new capital and in the problems of the tariff. Much of his time was devoted to his rather extensive land holdings in western Virginia and on the "Western Waters. " Likewise he was keenly interested in the establishment of several frontier towns and in the development of the navigation of the Potomac River. He was a close personal friend and legal adviser for the three Revolutionary generals, Charles Lee, Horatio Gates, and Adam Stephen. He is buried at "Woodville, " his country estate near Winchester.

Achievements

• He was regarded by his contemporaries as the outstanding leader of western Virginia and one of the ablest lawyers in the United States.

Connections

He was twice married but had no children. His first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Col. James Wood, the founder of Winchester, Va. , and his second, Sarah Hite, the widow of John Hite, a grandson of Jost Hite.

Father:

Robert White

Mother:

Margaret Hoge

Spouse:

Elizabeth Wood

Spouse:

Sarah Cotter Hite

nephew:

Francis White

nephew:

Robert White

Friend:

Horatio Gates

Friend:

Adam Stephen

Friend:

Charles Lee