Mark Wells White Jr. (March 17, 1940 – August 5, 2017) was an American politician and lawyer….who served as the 43rd Governor of Texas from 1983 to 1987. He also held office as Secretary of State of Texas (1973–77) and as Texas Attorney General (1979–83). White was elected governor in the 1982 gubernatorial election by defeating the incumbent Bill Clements. A member of the Democratic Party, White sought to improve education, transportation, water resources, law enforcement and taxes to lure new industry to Texas. He appointed the first Hispanic woman to serve as judge of a district court in Texas. In the 1986 gubernatorial election, White lost to former Republican Governor Clements, 52.7% to 46.0%
As the state’s 43rd chief executive from January 18, 1983, to January 20, 1987, White worked to “preserve and enhance… resources so that Texas would not fall back, but go forward as a state of the future” His main concerns were the economy and education. By focusing on Texas’ resources, White was able to work on many problems facing the state in the early 1980’s. The Texas economy during the early and mid-1980’s was volatile. The price of oil declined and pushed Texas into a recession. This led Governor White to “lay the groundwork for a more diversified economy–one less reliant upon the…swings of a single industry”….which never really happened…..cuz The Lone Star State is still a “oil business” State….even still today in 2018.
