Wallace H. White, Jr.

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Wallace Humphrey White, Jr.
United States Senator from Maine
In office March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1949
Preceded by	Arthur R. Gould
Succeeded by	Margaret C. Smith
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1931
Preceded by	Daniel J. McGillicuddy
Succeeded by	Donald B. Partridge
Born	August 6, 1877(1877-08-06) Lewiston, Maine
Died	March 31, 1952 (aged 74) Auburn, Maine
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Bowdoin College

Wallace Humphrey White, Jr. (August 6, 1877–March 31, 1952) was a prominent American politician and Republican leader in Congress from 1916 until 1949. White was from the U.S. state of Maine and served in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to the U.S. Senate, where he was Senate Minority Leader and later Majority Leader before his retirement.

White was born in Lewiston. His grandfather, William P. Frye, was also a prominent political figure, having served as a Senator from Maine and President pro tempore. In 1899, White graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick. After graduating, he became the assistant clerk to the Senate Committee on Commerce and later secretary to his grandfather. White studied law and was admitted to the bar, afterward beginning to practice in Lewiston.

The political career of White began when he was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916. He took office on March 4 of the following year and served until March 3, 1931 (65th–71st Congresses). He left the House in 1931 after being elected to the Senate in late 1930.

In Congress, White served as chairman of the House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Justice (Sixty-sixth Congress), the House Committee on Woman Suffrage (Sixty-seventh through Sixty-ninth Congresses), the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries (Seventieth and Seventy-first Congresses), and the Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (80th Congress). He also served as a presidential appointee on a variety of commissions.

White was reelected in 1936 and 1942 and served from March 4, 1931, to January 3, 1949. He was elected minority leader by his colleagues (1944-1947), and became majority leader when his party held a majority in the 80th Congress (1947-1949). According to John Gunther's 1947 book Inside U.S.A., as the titular party floor leader, "his chief function is to hold the balance between two much more dominant and vivid men, Taft and Vandenberg...Everybody likes White; few people pay much attention to him."

He was not a candidate for renomination in 1948. White died in Auburn and is interred at the Mt. Auburn Cemetery.

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v • d • e United States Senate Majority Leaders Lodge • Curtis • Watson • Robinson • Barkley • White • Lucas • McFarland • Taft • Knowland • Johnson • Mansfield • Byrd • Baker • Dole • Byrd • Mitchell • Dole • Lott • Daschle • Lott • Daschle • Frist • Reid

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v • d • e Republican Party Leaders in the United States Senate Lodge • Curtis • Watson • McNary • Austin • McNary • White • Wherry • Bridges • Taft • Knowland • Dirksen • Scott • Baker • Dole • Lott • Frist • McConnell