Walter White (Tennessee politician)

Walter White
White in 1925
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
Constituency	10th floterial district
In office 1909–1911
Preceded by	John Neal
In office 1933–1935
Preceded by	Grover Harris
Succeeded by	Sue K. Hicks
In office 1937–1939
Preceded by	Sue K. Hicks
Succeeded by	Herschel Denton
In office 1941–1949
Preceded by	Herschel Denton
Succeeded by	Mary Shadow
Minority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives
In office 1937–1939
Member of the Tennessee Senate from the 9th district
In office 1911–1913
Preceded by	John Neal
Succeeded by	Lewis Shepherd Pope
Personal details
Born	(1881-12-24)December 24, 1881 Meigs County, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	February 14, 1951(1951-02-14) (aged 69) Dayton, Tennessee, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Ina B. Whittemore
Relatives	Milburn White (brother)

Walter White (December 24, 1881 – February 14, 1951) was an American educator and politician from the state of Tennessee. White served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 10th floterial district non-consecutively from 1909 to 1949, and in the Tennessee Senate from 1911 to 1913, as a member of the Republican Party. He also served as the superintendent of county schools in Rhea County, Tennessee, from the 1920s to 1940s, and was a figure in the 1925 Scopes trial, helping to organize and publicize the event.

White was born in Meigs County, Tennessee, and educated at multiple universities. He was elected to the state house in 1908, and to the state senate in 1910, where he was the youngest member for that session, before he lost reelection in 1912. He unsuccessfully ran for governor twice, for the Republican nomination in 1924 and with the nomination in 1926. White returned to the state house in 1932, but was defeated in 1934. He returned in 1936, where he served as Minority Leader, but was defeated in 1938. He served in the state house again from 1941 to 1949, until his defeat by Democratic nominee Mary Shadow after losing the Republican nomination.

White served as superintendent until his removal in 1931 due to school funds misappropriation accusations, but was reappointed in 1939, where he served until his removal in 1950. He was active in local politics in Rhea County, where he operated a political machine, and was sent as a delegate to two Republican National Conventions.