George Henry White: An Even Chance in the Race of Life

512 Pages·2001·12.616 MB·English

by  Benjamin R. Justesen, G. K. Butterfield

Southern Biography Series
Bertram Wyatt-Brown, Editor
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George Henry White
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George Henry White
An Even Chance in the Race of Life
Benjamin R. Justesen
Updated Edition with a
New Foreword by
Congressman G. K. Butterfield
Louisiana State University Press
Baton Rouge
Published by Louisiana State University Press
Copyright © 2001 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Louisiana Paperback Edition, 2012
Designer: Amanda McDonald Scallan
Typeface: Goudy
Typesetter: Crane Composition, Inc.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Justesen, Benjamin R., 1949–
George Henry White : an even chance in the race of life / Benjamin R. Justesen.
p. cm. — (Southern biography series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8071-2586-5 (alk. paper) 1. White, George H. (George Henry), 1852–1918. 2. Afro-American
legislators—Biography. 3. Legislators—United States—Biography. 4. United States. Congress. House—
Biography. 5. Afro-Americans—Politics and government—19th century. I. Title. II. Series.
E664.W593 J87 2000
328.73’092—dc21
00-010079
ISBN 978-0-8071-4477-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production
Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Portions of chapters 10 and 11 appeared in different form in “George Henry White, Josephus Daniels, and the
Showdown over Disfranchisement, 1900,” North Carolina Historical Review(January 2000).
To Elizabeth, Fredrika, and Margaret
with love and respect
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Mr. Speaker, my plea is not for special privileges for my peo-
ple, but what we want and have a right to expect is...all the
privileges of an American citizen. We will be content with
nothing less....An even chance in the race of life is all that
we ask, and then if we can not reach the goal, let the devil
take the hindmost one!
—George Henry White in the U.S. House of
Representatives, 7 March 1898