Sebastian Harrison White (December 24, 1864 – December 21, 1945) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

and a justice of the

Colorado Supreme Court The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. Powers and duties Appellate jurisdiction Discretionary appeals The Court ...

Early life and education

Born on a farm near

Maries County, Missouri Maries County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,432. Its county seat is Vienna. The county was organized March 2, 1855 and named for the Maries River and Little Maries River. The w ...

, his parents were Jonah William and Cloa Ann (Reeder) White. His father was from Tennessee and his mother was from Virginia. White attended the rural schools in

Dallas County, Missouri Dallas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,777. Its county seat is Buffalo. The county was organized in 1842 as Niangua County and then renamed in 1844 for George M. Dallas, w ...

and private schools. At the age of ten, White set out on his own, having been "thrown upon his own resources." When he was 16 years of age, he worked as a laborer and was living at the home of a physician and his wife in Lincoln County in Dallas County. He attended the Marionville Collegiate Institute in Missouri (later the Ozark Wesleyan College) at

Carthage, Missouri Carthage is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 15,522 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Jasper County and is nicknamed "America's Maple Leaf City." History Jasper County was formed in 1841. ...

Career

He taught school for several years. At 19 years of age, White was elected president of the Hickory County Teachers Institute in 1886. He was elected superintendent of schools of

Hickory County, Missouri Hickory County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,279. Its county seat is Hermitage. The county was organized February 14, 1845, and named after President Andrew Jackson, whose nickname was "O ...

in 1887 at 23 years of age. He studied law while he was a teacher and he was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Colorado and Missouri in 1889 and practiced law in

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most populo ...

. He was a partner with Charles P. Dunbaugh in the White & Dunbaugh law firm. He served as delegate to the Democratic State convention in 1892. He served as chairman of the Pueblo County Democratic central committee in 1892. He served as city attorney of Pueblo from 1897 to 1899. He was a public trustee of Pueblo County from 1900 to 1903 and from 1905 to 1909. He served as district attorney of the tenth judicial district from 1904 to 1908. White was elected justice of the

in 1908 for a term of ten years 1909 to 1919, and served as chief justice from 1917 until 1918, when he retired. He engaged in the practice of law in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1919. White was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the 70th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William N. Vaile and served from November 15, 1927 to March 3, 1929. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1928 to the 71st Congress. He resumed the practice of law in

. He was the author of the minority report that precipitated the fight over the fusion with the

Populists Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

that resulted in a split in the convention. He was elected secretary of that division of the party which was denominated “The White Wings”, and which nominated a straight Democratic ticket. He was a member of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

, Knights of Pythias, and the

Denver Athletic Club The Denver Athletic Club, founded in 1884, is a private athletic and social club that is member-owned. Located in Downtown Denver, Colorado, United States. Residing in the historical 1325 Glenarm Place near the Colorado Convention Center, The D ...

. He was a lecturer across the United States when he was a member of the

League to Enforce Peace The League to Enforce Peace was a non-state American organization established in 1915 to promote the formation of an international body for world peace. It was formed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia by American citizens concerned by the outbr ...

. His office was in the Equitable Building in Denver.

Personal life

He married Eva Dunbaugh of Pueblo, Colorado in December 1893. Her father was Charles P. Dunbaugh, a hotelier in Pueblo. They had two children: Adrian Dunbaugh White and Gertrude Gloria White. White was admitted into a hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1942, where he remained until his death on December 21, 1945. He remains were cremated in

Fairmount Cemetery (Denver, Colorado) Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, was founded in 1890 and is Denver's second oldest operating cemetery after Riverside Cemetery. It was designed by German landscape architect Reinhard Schuetze. The cemetery was patterned after Mount Aubu ...

, and the ashes scattered over the cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Sebastian Harrison 1864 births 1945 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Missouri Democrats Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court District attorneys in Colorado