Talk:George Henry White
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I want to put a note in here about a question about White. Many sources, including the Daily Dispatch article linked at the bottom of this article, refer to White as the last former slave to serve in Congress. But there is a controversy about that claim, as rightly noted on the North Carolina Office of Archives & History website about the state's historical markers.
"The highway historical marker for White approved in 1976 indicates that he was born into slavery, as was believed at that time. However, Benjamin R. Justesen’s 2001 biography of White relates details that tend to refute the statement. George W. White was raised as a free black, as was his father Wiley. However there is some indication that George, like his older brother John may have been born to a slave woman that Wiley White never married. If that is the case, Wiley and Mary White would have had to purchase the boys. Regardless of his circumstances of birth, George White attended public schools and studied under D. P. Allen, president of the Whiten Normal School in Lumberton. White graduated from Howard University in 1877. He initially held principalships at two New Bern schools, while at the same time studying law under Judge William J. Clarke. White obtained his license to practice law in North Carolina in 1879. " [1]
So I don't think the debate has been settled, but there is much evidence that White never lived in slavery. Awbeal 01:05, 7 February 2007 (UTC)
