Mark White, a lawyer by trade, got interested in politics at a young age and worked hard as governor of Texas to make Texas a better place. After graduating from Baylor University with a degree in business administration, he continued studying law and shortly started working for the State Bar of Texas. As governor, Mark White was committed to enacting changes that would diversify the state’s reliance on the oil industry and boost the struggling Texan economy. He also implemented well-considered educational reforms to improve the state of schools and instructors since he realized that children were the state’s future. When he served as governor, White is reputed to have sentenced a large number of prisoners to death; nonetheless, his choices on capital punishment were reached after careful consideration and research of eyewitness reports. He served as the chairman and as a member of numerous law enforcement and crime prevention groups. The ultimate goal of whatever cause he championed was to make himself better. He attempted to run for governor a second time but was unsuccessful.
Early Childhood & Life
Mark Wells Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth White welcomed Mark White into the world on March 17, 1940, in Henderson, Rusk County, Texas. After his birth, his family relocated from Henderson to Houston.
He attended a number of public schools before earning his high school diploma from Lamar in 1958. Four years later, he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University.
He enrolled in Baylor Law School after that, where he earned his doctorate in law in 1965. He began his legal career as a private practitioner after being admitted to the Texas State Bar. Shortly after, he started working for the government as an assistant attorney general in the division of insurance, banking, and securities.
Mark White’s Career
Along with performing volunteer work, he served in the Texas National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division. He spent four years as a lawyer with the company Reynolds, Allen & Cook in 1969.
Under Governor Dolph Briscoe, he was chosen to serve as Texas’ Secretary of State in 1973. During his tenure, he improved public responsiveness to legal services and streamlined legal operations.
He was the youngest president of the National Association of Secretaries of State ever when he was chosen in 1977. White was also elected earlier to the positions of secretary and treasurer, making this the highest office in the association.
He ran for office as the state’s attorney general, comfortably defeating the Republican Party’s opponent. In 1979, White was appointed the 46th Attorney General of Texas and shared leadership of the committee that coordinated federal and state law enforcement.
He served on the Governor’s Organized Crime Prevention Council in addition to his duties as Attorney General. In 1981, he was appointed as the Southern Conference of Attorney Generals’ chairman, which was a position at the federal level.
White preferred to be governor than becoming attorney general. He was elected the 43rd Governor of Texas in 1983 after winning by a large majority and serving in that capacity for four years.
Texas, which had long been dependent on the oil industry, was in disarray when oil prices fell. As a result of the recession, Texas’ government is in disarray and unstable.
His principal goals as governor included safeguarding the state’s resources and advancing its economy and educational system. In order to reduce the state’s reliance on a single industry, he also put a lot of effort into stabilizing and diversifying the unstable economy.
White also tried to improve the state of law enforcement, water resources, and transportation. He implemented various tax adjustments in an effort to entice new companies and divert attention away from the reliance on the oil industry.
Mark White placed a high value on education since he considered children to be the future’s most valuable resource. By raising their compensation, he hoped to increase state performance standards and guarantee higher teaching standards.
Controlling death sentences and executions was a key responsibility of the governor and required shrewd authority. White always thoroughly examined each piece of evidence to make sure the executions were fair and just.
He hosted a series of events as governor on Texas’ 150th anniversary in 1986. He ordered the restoration of the statue of the Goddess of Liberty, one of Texas’ most significant landmarks, as well as the refurbishment of the Texas State Capitol.
Distinguished senators and businessmen served as his counselors. These advisors to White included state senator Max Sherman and industrialist H. Ross Perrot.
White was unsuccessful in his bid for a second term as governor in the general election of 1986. Popular belief holds that one of the causes of his collapse was his “No Pass, No Play” educational policy, which prohibited students who failed from participating in varsity athletics.
White joined the legal team at Keck, Mahin & Cate following his tenure as governor. In 1990, he attempted to win the governorship again but was unsuccessful. Ann Richards, a Democrat, defeated him.
White currently holds the positions of Chairman of the Houston Independent School District Foundation and President of GeoVox Company. This is a nonprofit group that aids Houston’s public schools.
Mark’s Bigger Works
White was able to raise the bar for Texas students’ performance on Scholastic Aptitude Tests, which was one of his great accomplishments as governor. He established a committee on public education in 1984, passed the Education Opportunity Act, and increased teacher pay to boost standards.
Together with other well-known Texans, White played a significant part in keeping the 2010 Big 12 Conference alive by pleading with all of the Big 12 institutions to work together to make improvements. Ten institutions competed in football games as part of the Big 12 Conference, which had started to fall apart due to internal conflicts.
Awards & Achievements
Mark White received the Pro Texana/Medal of Service from Baylor University for the 2011–12 academic year. The honoree must have made a commendable impact on the public or nonprofit sector as well as contributed to the advancement of Baylor University’s missions.
White has consistently advocated for minorities and worked to integrate them into governmental processes. He appointed Elma Salinas Ender as the first Hispanic woman to serve as a district court judge in Texas.
Personal Legacy & Life
Mark White met Linda Gale Thompson while pursuing his BBA at Baylor University, and they are now married. Elizabeth, Andrew, and Mark III are their three children.
At the age of 67, White received a rare kidney cancer diagnosis. He has managed to survive the illness, though, thanks to the help of his physician, family, friends, and religious convictions.
Estimated Net Worth
Mark is among the wealthiest and most well-known guitarists. Our study of Mark White’s net worth from sources including Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider indicates that it is about $1.5 million.
Trivia
This charming attorney appeared in a cameo on the TV soap opera “Dallas” while he was Texas’ governor. The plot centers on a wealthy and contentious Texas family that controlled oil fields and cattle ranches.