Joseph Livingston White ( – January 12, 1861) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as 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

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1841 to 1843.

Biography

White was born in

Cherry Valley, New York Cherry Valley is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. According to the 2020 US census, the village of Cherry Valley had a population of 487. However, the town has a much higher population. Within the town of Cherry Valley is a vill ...

, probably in 1813 or 1814, though the exact date is not known. He was educated in Cherry Valley, attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, studied law in

Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the ...

, and 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 ...

. After becoming a lawyer, White moved to

Madison, Indiana Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2010 United States Census its population was 11,967. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the larges ...

, where he began a practice. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress, and served one term, March 4, 1841 to March 3, 1843. After leaving Congress White moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where he practiced law and became involved in several business ventures. In 1848 he opposed the Whig nomination of slaveholder

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

for President, and was a delegate to the convention of antislavery Democrats and Conscience Whigs that formed the

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery int ...

and nominated

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

to oppose Taylor and Democratic nominee Lewis Cass. In the 1850s White was president of a company that included his brother David and

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

, which received a contract from the government of Nicaragua to operate steamships and a railroad between the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

Oceans, as well as constructing a canal between the oceans. To further his business interests, White became a supporter of William Walker's attempt to overthrow Nicaragua's government. While in

Corinto, Nicaragua Corinto is a town, with a population of 18,552 (2021 estimate), on the northwest Pacific coast of Nicaragua in the province of Chinandega. The municipality was founded in 1863. History Early years The town of Corinto was founded in 1849. It first ...

on January 5, 1861 to lobby for an exclusive contract to produce rubber, he was shot by Jonathan Gavitt, a business rival who was also attempting to receive the rubber production contract. White survived for several days, but died from his injuries on January 12, 1861. He was interred in the Corinto City Cemetery. Though testimony indicated that Gavitt asked a servant to retrieve his pistol from his hotel room while he sat with White, and that he aimed deliberately, Gavitt claimed his shooting of White was an accident, and he was acquitted.

References

1861 deaths People from Cherry Valley, New York American people murdered abroad People murdered in Nicaragua Deaths by firearm in Nicaragua Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 19th-century American politicians People from Madison, Indiana Year of birth uncertain {{Indiana-politician-stub