Jesse White | |
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![]() White in 2015 | |
37th Secretary of State of Illinois | |
In office January 11, 1999 – January 9, 2023 | |
Governor | |
Preceded by | George Ryan |
Succeeded by | Alexi Giannoulias |
Cook County Recorder of Deeds | |
In office December 1, 1992 – January 11, 1999 | |
Preceded by | Carol Moseley Braun |
Succeeded by | Eugene Moore |
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
In office January 8, 1975 – December 1, 1992 | |
Preceded by | James Houlihan |
Succeeded by | Robert LeFlore |
Constituency | 8th district (1983–1992) 13th district (1975–1983) |
Personal details | |
Born | Jesse Clark White June 23, 1934 Alton, Illinois, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Children | 1 |
Education | Alabama State University (BA) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1957–1959 |
Unit | 101st Airborne Division • Illinois National Guard |
Jesse Clark White (born June 23, 1934) is an American educator, politician and former athlete from the State of Illinois. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 37th Secretary of State of Illinois from 1999 to 2023. He was the longest-serving American to hold this office. A popular office holder, White declined to seek reelection in 2022 for a seventh term.[1] Previously, he served as the Cook County Recorder of Deeds from 1993 to 1999 and in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1975 to 1993.
Raised in Chicago, White attended Alabama State University on a sports scholarship. He was a minor league baseball player in the 1950s and 1960s. During that time, he also formed a youth sports and community organization, the Jesse White Tumbling Team, which has continued throughout his several careers. White went on to become a teacher and administrator in the Chicago Public Schools.