Compton I. White, Jr.

Compton I. White, Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's 1st district
In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1967
Preceded by	Gracie Pfost
Succeeded by	Jim McClure
Personal details
Born	Compton Ignatius White, Jr. December 19, 1920 Spokane, Washington
Died	October 19, 1998 (aged 77) Sandpoint, Idaho
Resting place	White Family Cemetery Clark Fork, Idaho
Nationality	United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Florence Eulalia Waddell White
Children	5 sons, 1 daughter
Residence	Clark Fork
Alma mater	University of Idaho, 1942 George Washington University
Profession	Agriculture, Mining

Compton Ignatius White, Jr. (December 19, 1920 – October 19, 1998) was a two-term congressman from northern Idaho. A Democrat, he was elected to the open seat in the first district in 1962 and re-elected in 1964. White is the last person from the Idaho Panhandle region to represent the state in Congress.

Biography

The son of Congressman Compton I. White and Josephine Elizabeth White (née Bunn), White Jr. was born in Spokane, Washington, and grew up in his family's hometown of Clark Fork, Idaho, and in Washington, D.C.. He attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. for his freshman year of college,^[1] then transferred to the University of Idaho in Moscow, where he graduated in 1942.^[2]

During World War II White worked as an engineer for Boeing in Seattle, and also in mining, logging, and livestock breeding. After the war, he returned to Clark Fork and served on the school board. From 1958 to 1962 White served as mayor of Clark Fork.

In 1960, White announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Henry Dworshak, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by R. F. Bob McLaughlin. That seat was open again in 1962 after Dworshak's death in July, and Gracie Pfost was the Democratic nominee, vacating her first district seat in the House. White won the Democratic primary and general election, the same seat his father held for eight terms.

White was re-elected in the Democratic landslide of 1964, but was defeated for a third term in 1966 by Republican state senator Jim McClure of Payette.

U.S. House elections (Idaho's 1st district): Results 1962–1968

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct
1962		Compton I. White, Jr.	51,422	53.0%		Erwin H. Schwiebert	45,552	47.0%
1964		Compton I. White, Jr. (inc.)	56,203	51.7%		John Mattmiller	52,468	48.3%
1966		Compton I. White, Jr. (inc.)	65,446	48.2%		Jim McClure	70,410	51.8%
1968		Compton I. White, Jr.	62,002	40.6%		Jim McClure (inc.)	90,870	59.4%

Source:^[3]

White secured a position as a consultant with the U.S. Treasury Department in 1967. He ran again against McClure in 1968, but lost by a large margin. Afterwards, White returned to Clark Fork and served on its city council, as well as working in ranching once again.

His grandson, Ryan M. White, currently serves as Legislative Director for Idaho Senator Jim Risch.^[4]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

1. Doyle, Randall Jordan (1996). The life and career of Congressman Compton White, Jr. and the Idaho Democratic Party in the 1960s (Ph.D.). University of Idaho. p. 30. OCLC 43774727.
2. "Seniors". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1942. p. 310.
3. "Office of the Clerk: Election statistics". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
4. http://www.idahostatesman.com/273/story/571750.html

External links

• United States Congress. "Compton I. White, Jr. (id: W000362)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• University of Idaho Library – Compton I. White, Jr. papers, 1963-1966

Compton I. White, Jr. at Find a Grave