Walter White (Tennessee politician)

White and John Denton chaired the 1912 Rhea County Republican convention and was a delegate to the Tennessee Republican Party's state convention.[5][6] He chaired the county convention in 1916.[7] He was a member of the Republican congressional committee in the 4th district until his resignation in 1921.[8]

White supported Herbert Hoover for the Republican presidential nomination during the 1928 election.[9][10] He was a delegate to the 1940 Republican National Convention from Tennessee's 3rd congressional district and supported Thomas E. Dewey and Robert A. Taft.[11][12] He supported B. Carroll Reece, a member of the United States House of Representatives and member of the Republican National Committee, for the Republican vice-presidential nomination during the 1944 presidential election.[13] He attempted to serve as a delegate to the 1944 Republican National Convention, but a rival delegate slate was seated instead.[14] A resolution by White honoring Wendell Willkie was passed by the state house in 1945.[15]

White led a Republican faction against Luke and Ed Morgan. In 1948, the two factions held two rival county conventions that sent contesting delegates to the state convention.[16] The credentials committee voted four to three in favor of White's delegation.[17] White opposed Robert Kemmer's, a member of his political opposition, reelection to the Tennessee Senate in the 1948 election.[18] White's faction of the county party was recognized by the state party through a unanimous vote in 1950, rather than the faction led by Earl Smith.[19]

During the 1906 election White was endorsed by the Meigs County Republican Party for a seat in the state house from Meigs and Rhea counties despite him stating that he was not interested in running.[3] John Neal, a member of the Democratic Party who represented the district, sought election to the state senate in the 1908 election.[20] White was elected with the Republican nomination to succeed him.[21][22][23]

White was the chair of the Rhea County Republican Convention in 1910, and the convention endorsed him for a seat in the state senate from the 9th district.[24][25] The 9th District Republican Senatorial Convention gave him the nomination by acclamation[26] and he was elected to succeed Neal.[27][28] He was the youngest member of the state senate for that session.[29] White was defeated by Democratic nominee Lewis Shepherd Pope in the 1912 election.[30][31][32] U.S. Senator Newell Sanders gave White a job as a clerk for the Congressional Post Office after his defeat.[33]

White defeated incumbent Democratic Representative Grover Harris in the 1932 election for a seat in the state house from the 10th floterial district.[34][35][36] Democratic nominee Sue K. Hicks, who worked with White on the prosecution during the Scopes trial, defeated him in the 1934 election by twenty votes.[37][38] White accused there of being fraud in the election, but the state house seated Hicks following the recommendation of an investigatory committee.[39][40]

White defeated Democratic nominee George McKenzie in the 1936 election.[41] He lost to Democratic nominee Herschel Denton by six vote in the 1938 election. White contested the results of the election and claimed there was fraud.[42][43][44] He filed a petition with the Tennessee Election Commission seeking the removal of Ed Godsey and F.A. Grubb from the Meigs County Election Commission.[45] White later withdrew his contest against Denton, who was seated.[46][47] White defeated Democratic nominee R.J. Jaco in the 1940 election.[48] He was reelected in 1942 and 1944.[49][50] He defeated Democratic nominee D.F. Pope and independent candidate Carroll Tallent in the 1946 election.[51]

Smith challenged White for the Republican nomination during the 1948 election and both claimed victory in the primary. Glenn Woodlee ordered the arrest of C.H. Smith, chair of the Rhea County Republican primary board and Earl's father, for not releasing an official canvass of the primary vote.[52][53][54] He was fined $500 for contempt of court.[55] Another member of the board was Earl's first cousin.[56] The Republican state executive committee declared Smith the winner which brought criticism from Ralph Duggan, the Dewey's presidential campaign manager in Tennessee.[57] White stated that the committee ruled against him because he supported Dewey and announced his independent candidacy.[58][59] Democratic nominee Mary Shadow defeated White and Smith.[60] She defeated him in the 1950 election.[61] Four people were accused of tampering with the election, but no indictments were issued.[62]

White voted for Hillsman Taylor to be Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1909.[63] White ran to be the leader of the Republicans in the state house in 1933, but withdrew and M.G. Goodwin was selected instead.[64] He served on the Labor and Education committees in the 1900s, Ways and Means committee in the 1930s, and Banking, Educator, and Labor committees in the 1940s.[65][66][67] White was selected as the minority leader in the state house in 1936, and also nominated for speaker.[68]

White supported the reelection of U.S. Senator James B. Frazier during the 1910–11 election.[69] White sought an appointment to the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1937.[70]

White became the superintendent of schools in Rhea County.[71] He was appointed by the county court for his first five terms until the state legislature changed the selection process to be done through an election and increased the term from two years to four years.[72] He defeated independent candidate J.E. Atkinson in the 1928 election.[73] The county court selected to appoint White as superintendent rather than incumbent Tallent in 1939, by a vote of 11 to 8.[74][75]

White sought to be appointed as superintendent of public instruction by Governor Alfred A. Taylor, but J.B. Brown was appointed instead.[76][77] In 1921, he appointed the first woman to serve on a school board in Rhea County.[78] In 1929, White filed a $10,000 (equivalent to $170,426 in 2022) libel lawsuit against B.C. Kimmer, a former member of the state house and member of the county court, but his case was dismissed by Judge Leslie Rogers Darr.[79][80]

John T. Scopes was a teacher during White's tenure as superintendent and he was involved in the prosecution of the Scopes trial.

John T. Scopes was a teacher at one of the schools that White oversaw.[81] He was one of the attorneys for prosecution of the Scopes trial.[1] White replaced George Rappleyea in the prosecution on May 25, 1925, at the suggestion of Neal as Rappleyea believed in evolution.[82][83][84] White invited Billy Sunday to assist in the prosecution, but he declined the offer.[85][86]

In 1929, twenty-five property owners in Rhea County filed a lawsuit to remove White and seven members of the school board and in 1930, six members of the board were removed while White was acquitted, but fined $50 for being in contempt of court in 1930.[87][88]

In 1931, the county court accused White and R.M. Green, chair of the county board of education, of misappropriating school funds.[89][90] The school board rejected White's proposed list of teachers and then demanded their resignations after White's faction created a competing school board.[91][92] W. N. Morgan, a supporter of White, issued a warrant against the members of the committee investigating White accusing them of "conspiring falsely to move and maintain a suit against Walter White".[93] On August 18, the county court voted twelve to three to remove White and nine to six to remove Green from their positions.[94][95] J.H. Miser was selected to replace White and C.F. McDonald was selected to replace Green.[96] White returned to his position after Justice Alexander W. Chambliss suspended all of the actions while the case was being heard.[97] The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that the county court had the power to remove White and Miser assumed the position on November 27.[98][99]

The county court voted to replace White with W.B. Follis in 1948, but an injunction prevented Follis from taking office until White's term expired in 1950.[100][101] In 1949, the state supreme court ruled that it was not unconstitutional for an official to be both a county school superintendent and member of the state house.[102] The injunction was dissolved on July 13, 1950, but a second injunction was issued on October 2.[103][104] The injunction was dissolved and Virgil Watson was selected to replace him on October 11.[105] Another injunction was issued, but Woodlee dismissed it and Watson took office on October 25.[106][107] White sought another injunction, but a court ruled that his term ended on July 1, 1950.[108]

County results of the 1926 Tennessee gubernatorial election

White announced his campaign for the Republican nomination in the 1924 gubernatorial election on September 17, 1923.[109] The Rhea County Republican Party endorsed him during the primary.[110] Bledsoe, Greene, and Meigs counties instructed their delegates to support White,[111] but none of the candidates received the endorsement of the state party at the convention.[112] He withdrew before the primary and endorsed T. F. Peck.[113]

White was put up for the Republican nomination in the 1926 election without his permission as he was supporting former Governor Taylor.[114][115] He announced his campaign after all of the other candidates, including Taylor, withdrew from the primary.[116][117] Brown managed White's campaign.[118] White lost the election to Democratic Governor Austin Peay.[119]