Bill White (mayor)
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- For other uses, see Bill White.
| Bill White | |
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| Order | 60th Mayor of Houston |
| Term of Office | 2004–present |
| Predecessor | Lee P. Brown |
| Successor | Incumbent |
| Date of Birth | June 16, 1954 |
| Place of Birth | San Antonio, Texas |
| Wife | Andrea White |
| Profession | Attorney, Businessman |
| Political Party | Democrat (Note: all elected offices in Houston are non-partisan) |
William "Bill" Howard White (born June 16, 1954) is the current mayor of the city of Houston, Texas (January 2, 2004–present).
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[edit] Education and career
Born in San Antonio as the son of school teachers, White attended Harvard University on American Legion scholarships and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics. He then attended The University of Texas School of Law, where he was elected editor-in-chief of its law review and graduated with highest honors.
White began his career as a lawyer at Susman Godfrey, LLP, a leading Houston law firm, from 1979 to 1993, where he practiced business litigation and anti-trust law, and eventually became partner. He served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy under President Clinton from 1993 to 1995. He organized Frontera Resources, a developer of oil and gas in the Caspian Sea region, and was also the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, from 1995 to 1998. He was the president and CEO of WEDGE Group, an energy, construction and real estate company, from 1997 to 2004.
[edit] Community and business activities
White has served on the board of directors for the North American Electrical Reliability Council. He was chairman for both the World Trade Division and the Environmental Advisory Committee, and served on the executive committee, for the Greater Houston Partnership. He has also served on the board of directors for the Houston Quality of Life Coalition.
[edit] Mayoral elections
In 2003, White, a Democrat, ran in Houston's officially nonpartisan mayoral election to succeed Mayor Lee Brown, who was term-limited. Running as a moderate with business experience, he appealed to Democrats as well as many Republicans despite having almost no name recognition. He and Republican former Houston City Councilman Orlando Sanchez defeated Democratic Texas State Representative Sylvester Turner. In the runoff, White defeated Sanchez with 63 percent of the vote.
In 2005, White was challenged for re-election by minor and perennial candidates and won re-election with 91 percent of the vote (a record landslide since Mayor Bob Lanier's re-election in 1995), nullifying the need for a runoff.
Americans witnessed Mayor White's hands-on management style when he helped lead Houston's competent, compassionate dealing with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
[edit] Personal
White is currently married to his second wife, Andrea White, a writer and civic leader. They have three children, and are members of St. Luke's United Methodist Church.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: Lee P. Brown |
Mayor of Houston, Texas 2004 – present |
Incumbent |
