William White (January 28, 1822 – March 12, 1883) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Ohio The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

and was appointed as a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, but died without taking the oath of office or commencing service.

Education and career

Born on January 28, 1822, in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, White's parents died, Smith 1898 : 197–198 and White was brought to

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

in 1831 by an uncle. At age 12 he was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker for nine years. He purchased his contract after six years. After graduating from high school, he taught school, and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1846. He entered private practice in

from 1846 to 1852. He was elected prosecutor for Clark County, Ohio in 1847 and reelected three times, serving from 1847 to 1856. He was a Judge of the Clark County Court of Common Pleas from 1856 to 1864. When Justice Hocking H. Hunter resigned February 9, 1864 from the

, White was appointed to the seat the next day. He won election to the remainder of the term in 1864, and won re-election to five year terms in 1868, 1873 and 1878, ultimately serving on the Supreme Court until his death.

Federal judicial service

White was nominated by President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...

on February 9, 1883, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio vacated by Judge Philip Bergen Swing. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 19, 1883, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 12, 1883, due to his death in Springfield. White died without taking the oath of office or commencing service on the district court and still was actively serving on the Supreme Court of Ohio at the time of his death. Randall 1912 : 151–154 Funeral services were at his home and later at the Second

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Church, where he was a member. He was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery.

Family

White was married to Rachel Stout of Springfield on October 21, 1847, and had one son and two daughters.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:White, William Ohio lawyers Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court Ohio Republicans Politicians from Springfield, Ohio 1822 births 1883 deaths County district attorneys in Ohio English emigrants to the United States Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio United States federal judges appointed by Chester A. Arthur United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law