James White (Texas politician)

American politician, born 1964

James White

White in 2021

Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 19th district
In office
January 8, 2013 – August 11, 2022
Preceded by| Tuffy Hamilton
Succeeded by| Ellen Troxclair
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 12th district
In office
January 11, 2011 – January 8, 2013
Preceded by| Jim McReynolds
Succeeded by| Kyle Kacal
Personal details
Born|

James Earl White

(1964-07-16) July 16, 1964 (age 60)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political party| Republican
Education| Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical University (BS, MEd)
University of Houston (MS, PhD)
Signature|
Military service
Allegiance|  United States
Branch/service|  United States Army
Years of service| 1986–1992
Unit| Infantry Division

James Earl White (born July 16, 1964) is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 19, which encompassed Polk, Hardin, Jasper, Newton, and Tyler counties. A member of the Republican Party, White was first elected in District 12 in 2010, which then included Angelina, San Jacinto, Trinity, and Tyler counties. He left office on August 11, 2022.

He resides in Hillister in Tyler County.

## Background

[edit]

Born and reared in Houston, Texas, White attended public school and graduated in 1982 from Lamar High School. In 1986, White procured a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and military science from the historically black Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical University in Prairie View, Texas. From 1986 until 1992, he served in the United States Army as a commissioned officer in the infantry. Thereafter, he taught in the public school system in the Houston area and was a guest columnist for Headway Magazine.[1]

Later, White became a teacher at Woodville High School in Woodville, the county seat of Tyler County. He also owns a cattle ranch. He is a member of the Hillister Baptist Church.[1]

In 2000, he obtained a Master of Education degree from Prairie View. In 2010 and 2012, respectively, he received a Master of Science and a Ph.D. from the University of Houston.[1]

White is a member of the American Legion, the Masonic lodge, the National Rifle Association of America, the historically black fraternity Omega Psi Phi, the Farm Bureau, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is a board member of the Texas Federation of Republican Outreach.[1]

## Political career

[edit]

Running in House District 12 in 2010, White unseated the Democratic incumbent, Jim McReynolds, 20,958 (57.6 percent) to 15,405 (42.4 percent).[2] Switched to District 19 in 2012, White unseated in the Republican primary the 10-year incumbent Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton of Lumberton in Hardin County. White polled 10,190 votes (54.5 percent) to Hamilton's 8,503 (45.5 percent).[3] White then ran without Democratic opposition in the general election held on November 6, 2012.[4]

In 2013, White voted against a bill to allow certain minors to consent to receiving immunizations (the bill passed the House 71-61).[5] In August 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, White spoke at an anti-vaccine mandate rally at the Texas State Capitol.[6] The next month, White filed a bill to ban government entities from requiring private businesses to require vaccinations, and barring businesses which require employees to provide proof of vaccination from receiving state grants or contracts.[7][8]

In 2017 and 2019, amid a national and statewide debate over the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials, White introduced bills that would restrict the removal of historical public monuments and memorials (including, but not limited to, Confederate monuments).[9][10] White's 2017 bill called upon the Legislature, State Preservation Board, or Texas Historical Commission to find another "prominent location" whenever any monument on state property "for military, war-related or other historical service" was moved, and would have established fines and jail time for violators.[9] White's 2019 bill would ban monuments erected more than 40 years ago from being "altered, moved, relocated, renamed or destroyed" and would ban the alteration, relocation, or destruction on monuments between 20-40 years unless a local referendum or a state Legislature vote to do so passed.[10]

In the general election held on November 6, 2018, White overwhelmed his Democratic opponent, Sherry Williams, 49,926 (83.2 percent) to 10,070 (16.8 percent).[11]

White was the sole African-American Republican in the Texas Legislature.[12] Texas Monthly described him in 2019 as "rock-ribbed conservative in good standing with the right" who is also a leading advocate of criminal justice reform within the Texas Republican Party.[12] White introduced legislation to update the Sandra Bland Act (a state law named after Sandra Bland, who died in a Texas jail shortly after being arrested at a traffic stop) by limiting arrests for minor misdemeanors; the measure did not pass.[12]

In June 2021, White announced that he would not seek re-election to the Texas House in 2022,[13] and announced that he was running for Agriculture Commissioner instead, challenging incumbent Republican Sid Miller in the Republican primary.[14][15][16]

On October 19, 2021, White expressed his opinion about same-sex marriage in a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. White noted that Texas laws "continue to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman" even after the U.S. Supreme Court decisions of Obergefell v. Hodges and De Leon v. Perry. He also expressed his opinion that, while federal court decisions prohibit "state officials" from enforcing these state laws, nothing prohibits "private citizens" from declining "to recognize homosexual marriages." In his letter, he requested that Paxton affirm this principle.[17]

On August 11, 2022, White resigned from his seat in the Texas House to take the position as executive director of the Texas Funeral Services Commission.[18]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Representative James White's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
2. ^ "2010 General election returns (House District 12)". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
3. ^ "Republican primary election, May 29, 2012 (House District 19)". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
4. ^ "2012 General election returns (House District 19)". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
5. ^ "James White's Voting Records". votesmart.org. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
6. ^ Carissa Lehmkuhl (August 21, 2021). "Hundreds gather at Texas Capitol to oppose vaccine mandates". Fox7. Austin, Texas. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021.
7. ^ Jeff Awtrey, East Texas legislator files bill outlawing vaccine requirements, KLTV (September 21, 2021).
8. ^ Jeff Awtrey (September 21, 2021). "East Texas legislator files bill outlawing vaccine requirements". KLTV. AUSTIN, Texas. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021.
9. ^ a b Sig Christenson, [1], San Antonio Express-News, April 1, 2017, p. 3.
10. ^ a b Alex Samuels, Texas legislation aimed at protecting monuments of all kinds sparks heated debate over Confederate markers, Texas Tribune (April 10, 2019).
11. ^ "Election Returns". Texas Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
12. ^ a b c "2019: The Best and Worst Legislators". Texas Monthly. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
13. ^ Svitek, Colleen DeGuzman and Patrick (12 June 2021). "State Rep. James White, an East Texas Republican, won't seek another term in Texas House". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
14. ^ "State Rep. James White launches campaign for Texas agriculture commissioner". KVUE. June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
15. ^ Svitek, Patrick, and James Barragán (2021-06-30). "State Rep. James White announces primary challenge to Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2021-07-01.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. ^ "State Rep. James White launches campaign for Texas agriculture commissioner". kvue.com. KVUE. June 30, 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
17. ^ White, James (19 October 2021). "Re: Whether Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015), requires private citizens to recognize homosexual marriages when the law of Texas continues to define marriage exclusively as the union of one man and one woman" (PDF). texasattorneygeneral.gov. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
18. ^ Barragán, James (17 August 2022). "Republican James White resigns from Texas House early to take leadership job at Texas Funeral Services Commission". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 15 December 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* State legislative page
* James White at the Texas Tribune

Texas House of Representatives

Preceded by

Tuffy Hamilton

|  Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
from the 19th district
2013–2022  | Succeeded by

Ellen Troxclair

Preceded by

Jim McReynolds

|  Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
from the 12th district
2011–2013  | Succeeded by

Kyle Kacal

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