hugh lawson white
jurist
biography
Hugh Lawson White, a jurist and political leader, was born in Iredell County, North Carolina. He was also a U.S. senator from Tennessee 1825-40 and later a candidate for U.S. presidency in 1836. He began practicing law in Knoxville in 1796 and became prominent in Tennessee affairs, holding several important posts including judge of the state superior court, president of the state supreme court, president of the Bank of the State of Tennessee, and state senator for several terms.
His national career extended over his period of service in the United States Senate. As a Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democrat he opposed the administration of John Quincy Adams and supported those of Andrew Jackson until 1834, when he broke with his support over his for Martin van Buren.
In February 1835, White’s speech favoring limitation of executive patronage, regarded as an attack on the administration, widened the breach. In the 1836 presidential election White ran as an independent and carried Tennessee and Georgia while failing to prevent Van Buren’s election. White’s strong conscience, political integrity, and mild manners won him wide regard. He resigned from the Senate in 1840 when the Tennessee legislature sent him instructions he felt unable to obey.
