Mark White (Texas politician)

Mark White
43rd Governor of Texas
In office January 18, 1983 – January 20, 1987
Lieutenant	William P. Hobby Jr.
Preceded by	Bill Clements
Succeeded by	Bill Clements
46th Attorney General of Texas
In office January 19, 1979 – January 18, 1983
Governor	Bill Clements
Preceded by	John Hill
Succeeded by	Jim Mattox
74th Secretary of State of Texas
In office January 19, 1973 – October 27, 1977
Governor	Dolph Briscoe
Preceded by	V. Larry Teaver Jr.
Succeeded by	Steven C. Oaks
Personal details
Born	Mark Wells White Jr. (1940-03-17)March 17, 1940 Henderson, Texas, U.S.
Died	August 5, 2017(2017-08-05) (aged 77) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Texas State Cemetery Austin, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Linda Thompson ​ (m. 1966)​
Children	3
Education	Baylor University (BBA, JD)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Unit	Texas Army National Guard  • 36th Infantry Division

Mark Wells White Jr. (March 17, 1940 – August 5, 2017) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 43rd governor of Texas from 1983 to 1987. He also held office as Secretary of State of Texas (1973–1977), and as Texas Attorney General (1979–1983).

White was elected governor in the 1982 gubernatorial election, defeating the incumbent Bill Clements.^[1] A member of the Democratic Party, White sought to improve education, transportation, water resources, law enforcement, and taxes to lure new industry to Texas. He appointed the first Hispanic woman to serve as a judge of a district court in Texas, Elma Salinas Ender.^[2] In the 1986 gubernatorial election, White lost to former Republican Governor Clements, 52.7% to 46.0%.^[3]