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Frank White (December 12, 1856March 23, 1940) was the eighth
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...
from 1901 to 1905. He was a
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
who also served as
Treasurer of the United States The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage produc ...
from 1921 to 1928.


Family

Colonel Frank White was born on December 12, 1856, in
Stillman Valley, Illinois Stillman Valley is a village in Marion Township, Ogle County, Illinois, United States. It lies east of Byron, south of Rockford and west of Davis Junction. The population was 1,120 at the 2010 census, up from 1,048 in 2000. The village is loca ...
, to
Joshua Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
and Lucy Ann (Brown) White. His father, Joshua, served in the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention of 1846 and in the Illinois House of Representatives.


Education and career

White received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Civil Engineering from the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...
in 1880. Soon after graduation, White worked for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. In 1882, he moved to the
Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...
, although his reasons for doing so are unclear. According to the book Barnes County History, White departed for North Dakota at his father's request to look after land that he had acquired near Valley City; Clement Lounsberry’s North Dakota History and People reports that White moved to North Dakota to look after land that he himself had purchased. Nonetheless, while at Valley City, White met Elsie Hadley, an Indiana native and maths instructor at Valley City State Normal School. The couple were married on September 19, 1894, in Indianapolis. The couple had one son, Edwin Lee White who was born in
Valley City, North Dakota Valley City is a city in Barnes County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Barnes County. The population was 6,575 during the 2020 census, making it the 12th largest city in North Dakota. Valley City was founded in 1874. Val ...
, on July 5, 1896.


Political career

White's interests soon turned toward politics, and in 1890 he was elected to represent District 15 in the
North Dakota House of Representatives The North Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly and is larger than the North Dakota Senate. North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as d ...
. He served only one term before being elected to the
North Dakota State Senate The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts appor ...
in 1892. He was re-elected in 1896, but resigned from this post to become a commissioned major of the First North Dakota Volunteer Infantry,
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...
. White arrived in the Philippines on July 30, 1898, participating in the capture of Manila on August 13. Throughout his service in the war, White participated in over twenty engagements, was a highly respected leader, and was awarded the Silver Star for bravery during combat. White returned to the United States in 1899, and purchased land near
Litchville, North Dakota Litchville is a city in Barnes County, North Dakota, United States, known for their canoeing and kayaking opportunities. The population was 169 at the 2020 census. Litchville was founded in 1900. Geography Litchville is located at (46.653683, ...
. In 1900, he opened a real estate and insurance office. That same year, he received the Republican nomination for Governor, and was victorious in the fall election. He was reelected in 1902, and under White's two-term governorship, many needed reforms were implemented. A large amount of the school funds were not drawing interest, and White decided to invest the money in bonds and farm loans, earning interest in the lump sum. It was during his administration that North Dakota's first state bonds were redeemed. In fact, through his sound financial maneuvering, a $223,000 state deficit was eliminated. In January 1905, however, White decided to retire from political office to return to private business. He organized the Middlewest Fire Insurance Company and served as its president until 1913, when the company merged with
Twin City Fire Insurance Company Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
. In 1914, White organized the Middlewest Loan & Trust Company and was its president until America's entry into World War I.


World War I

With the advent of World War I, White was commissioned once more, this time at the rank of colonel. He commanded the Second North Dakota National Guard Regiment, which later merged into the 41st Infantry Division. In 1918, he was sent to France, but due to his age he was not assigned to combat duty.


Treasurer of the United States

When the war ended, White returned to take up his position in Middlewest Loan & Trust Company. His career in politics was not finished, though, for in 1921 White was named United States Treasurer at the request of President
Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
. When Calvin Coolidge became President in 1924, he was asked to remain in the position. Having served in the position of US Treasurer from 1921, he resigned in May 1928 to become president of
Southern Mortgage Guaranty Corporation Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, ...
at
Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...
. He also implemented smaller dollar bills while in office.


Death

Elsie White died in 1925. Colonel Frank White died in Washington, D.C., on March 23, 1940. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, with full military honors.


References


External links


Frank White Papers at The University of North Dakota
at the State Historical Society of North Dakota website
Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Frank 1856 births 1940 deaths Republican Party members of the North Dakota House of Representatives Republican Party North Dakota state senators Republican Party governors of North Dakota Treasurers of the United States American Congregationalists People from Stillman Valley, Illinois People from Valley City, North Dakota Businesspeople from North Dakota Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from North Dakota 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians American military personnel of the Spanish–American War