Stephen M. White

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American politician (1853–1901)

title: "Stephen M. White" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1853-births", "1901-deaths", "lieutenant-governors-of-california", "democratic-party-california-state-senators", "democratic-party-united-states-senators-from-california", "district-attorneys-in-california", "santa-clara-university-alumni", "american-lawyers-admitted-to-the-practice-of-law-by-reading-law", "presidents-pro-tempore-of-the-california-state-senate", "19th-century-members-of-the-california-state-legislature", "19th-century-united-states-senators", "chairs-of-the-democratic-congressional-campaign-committee"] description: "American politician (1853–1901)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_M._White" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American politician (1853–1901) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Stephen M. White
image	U.S. Senator Stephen M. White Crop.jpg
jr/sr1	United States Senator
state1	California
term_start1	March 4, 1893
term_end1	March 3, 1899
predecessor1	Charles N. Felton
successor1	Thomas R. Bard
order2	18th
office2	Lieutenant Governor of California
term_label2	Acting
term_start2	September 13, 1887
term_end2	January 8, 1891
governor2	Robert Waterman
predecessor2	Robert Waterman
successor2	John B. Reddick
order3	26th
office3	President pro tempore of the California State Senate
term_start3	January 3, 1887
term_end3	March 16, 1889
predecessor3	Benjamin Knight Jr.
successor3	Thomas Fraser
state_senate4	California
district4	38th
term_start4	January 3, 1887
term_end4	January 5, 1891
predecessor4	Constituency established
successor4	Richard B. Carpenter
order5	17th
office5	Los Angeles County District Attorney
term_start5	1882
term_end5	1884
predecessor5	Thomas B. Brown
successor5	George M. Holton
birth_date
birth_place	San Francisco, California, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
resting_place	Calvary Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
party	Democratic
spouse	Hortense Sacriste (m. 1883-1901, his death)
children	4
parents	William F. White
relatives	White family
education	Santa Clara College (S.B., 1871)
occupation	Attorney
::

Stephen Mallory White (January 19, 1853February 21, 1901) was an American attorney and politician from California. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from 1893 to 1899.

A native of San Francisco, White graduated from Santa Clara College in 1871, studied law, and became an attorney in Los Angeles. He became active in politics, and served as Los Angeles County District Attorney and a member of the California Senate. White was elected the Senate's president pro tem, and when the lieutenant governor succeeded to the governorship after the incumbent's death, White was acting lieutenant governor for most of his state senate term.

In 1893, the California legislature elected White to the United States Senate. He served one term and was chairman of the Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands. As a senator, White was best known for his efforts to secure an improved harbor for Los Angeles, which became the Port of Los Angeles.

After his Senate term, White resumed practicing law. He died in Los Angeles on February 21, 1901, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Early life

White was born in San Francisco on January 19, 1853, the son of Francis J. "Fannie" (Russell) White and William F. White, a merchant and author who was also active in California's government as a state bank commissioner and in other positions. White's mother was orphaned early in life and raised by relatives in Florida, one of whom was Stephen Mallory. White was tutored by his father's sister until he was 13, then attended a private school in Santa Cruz County. At age 16, he began attendance at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in San Francisco, where he remained for a year and a half.

White graduated from Santa Clara College in 1871 and studied law in the Santa Cruz area with three established attorneys. He was admitted to the bar in 1874.

Early career

White settled in Los Angeles, where he established a practice. In 1882, White was a charter member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

As a defense attorney, White attained a high reputation, but he preferred work on civil cases to criminal trials. He was also active in civic organizations, including the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Native Sons of the Golden West.

State politics

White was a loyal Democrat, sticking with the party even when his father ran for Governor of California on the Workingmen's Party ticket in 1879. White was even nominated by the Workingmen for Los Angeles County District Attorney that year but refused the nomination, instead running successfully as a Democrat two years later, serving from 1882 to 1884. He was a delegate to the 1888 Democratic National Convention in St. Louis, which re-nominated Grover Cleveland for president. In a sign of his growing national stature, White was appointed as the convention's temporary chairman.

White was a member of the California State Senate from 1887 to 1891. He was president pro tempore for both legislative sessions and acted as acted as the lieutenant governor from September 1887 to January 1891, following Robert Waterman's accession to the governorship. White was a trustee of the State Normal School at Los Angeles (now the University of California, Los Angeles) from 1887 to 1893.

U.S. Senator

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/The_Crow_Banquet,_Wasp_Caricature_of_Democratic_Leaders,_1894.jpg" caption="The Wasp]]'' mocking White and fellow California Democrats, September 8, 1894"] ::

In 1893, White was elected to the United States Senate. He served one term, March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1899. He was the first native Californian to represent the state in the U.S. Senate. During his Senate term, White was chairman of the Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands. As a senator, White was most notable for his work during the Free Harbor Fight, the effort to secure a deep water harbor at San Pedro, which later became the Port of Los Angeles. White was a delegate to the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which nominated William Jennings Bryan. His leadership was again recognized when he was appointed the convention's permanent chairman.

Later life

White was not a candidate for a second term in 1899 and resumed practicing law in Los Angeles. From 1899 to 1901 he served as a Regent of the University of California. White died in Los Angeles on February 21, 1901. He was interred at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Family

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Hortense_Sacriste.jpg" caption="White's wife Hortense Sacriste (center) and their children {{circa}} 1895"] ::

In 1883, White married Hortense Sacriste (1857–1935). They were the parents of six children, four of whom lived to adulthood:

William S. (1885–1930)
Estelle (1886–1967)
Hortense (1888–1977)
Stephen M. (1889–1890)
Unnamed boy (1891–1891)
Gerald Griffin (1895–1951), who was named for White's paternal great-uncle, the noted Irish poet and novelist.

Legacy

Stephen M. White Middle School in Carson, California, opened in 1957 and is named in White's honor.

A statue memorializing White was paid for by friends and admirers and installed outside the Los Angeles County Courthouse in 1908. In 1959, the old courthouse was condemned, and the White statue was moved to the grounds of the new courthouse. In 1989, the statue was moved to the entrance off Cabrillo Beach off Stephen M. White Drive in San Pedro.

Since 2019, individuals who object to White's support of the Chinese Exclusion Act and other racist actions have advocated for the name of the school to be changed. They have also proposed removing the statue from public display.

References

(1901). "History of the Bench and Bar of California: Biography, Stephen M. White". Commercial Printing House.
Griffin, Geo. Butler. (June 1, 1889). "Los Angeles Biographic Sketches: Hon. Stephen M. White". Overland Monthly Company.
Santa Clara College. (1901). "Souvenir of Santa Clara College". Chas. A. Nace.
Stern, Michael L.. (April 24, 2019). "The 2 Sides of Los Angeles lawyer Stephen M. White". Daily Journal Corporation.
(1901). "Stephen M. White -- In Memoriam". Commercial Printing House.
"Ramona Museum of California History & George A Lym". San Gabriel Economic Development.
(5 March 1879). "THE YOUNG DEMOCRATS". [[Los Angeles Express (newspaper).
(21 August 1879). "A Card from Stephen M. White". [[Los Angeles Herald]].
Troy, Robert P.. (1911). "Steven Mallory White: U.S. Senator from California". American-Irish Historical Society.
Guinn, James G.. (1903). "History of the State of California and Biographical Record of Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties". Chapman Publishing Co..
U.S. Senate. (1893). "The Miscellaneous Documents of the Senate of the United States: Committees of the Senate". U.S. Government Printing Office.
Queenan, Charles F.. (May 10, 1992). "'Great Free Harbor Fight': At Stake Was the Port Site for the Growing City of L.A.". Los Angeles Times.
Spencer, Thomas E.. (1998). "Where They're Buried". Clearfield Company.
(1896). "The Washington Sketch Book".
"The History of Stephen M. White Middle School". Los Angeles Unified School District.
Harrison, Scott. (October 6, 2017). "From the Archives: Statue of Sen. Stephen M. White gets moved". [[Los Angeles Times]].

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