William P. White (mayor)
William P. White | |
|---|---|
| Died | Error: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Known for | Mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts |
William P. White (deceased November 28, 1938) was a United States political figure who held the office of mayor in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Initial Term
In the 1908 mayoral race, White secured the Republican nomination and won decisively with 62% of votes, defeating Democrat Michael F. Collins and Socialist L. B. Talbot. Questions arose regarding his qualification due to a prior guilty plea related to accepting a gift during his tenure as a milk inspector. According to chapter 210, section 7 of the revised statutes, anyone convicted of bribery was prohibited from holding public office. White contended that this statute was not applicable since he was not a public officer at the time of his conviction. In March 1909, Edward F. Joyce formally contested White's right to serve as mayor. Despite this, White was reelected later that year, overcoming Democrat Dr. John T. Cahill and Socialist Joseph Donovan.
On May 18, 1910, White faced indictment alongside his private secretary Matthew Degrey Ripon, Fire Department Chief James A. Hamilton, former aldermen Matthew Burns and Xavier Legendre, and six business associates on charges including bribery, conspiracy to bribe, and larceny. The allegations involved a plot from December 1909 to bribe aldermen to remove Hamilton from his position. On July 13, White was convicted, receiving a three-year prison sentence and a $1,000 fine. He maintained his mayoral duties during incarceration until his resignation was formally accepted on July 25. Subsequently, on December 27, 1911, Governor Eugene Foss granted White a pardon following a unanimous recommendation from the Massachusetts Governor's Council, citing that the sentence imposed was excessively harsh.
Second Term
White returned to office in 1919 after winning the mayoral election by a margin of 2,877 votes. However, he was defeated in his bid for reelection by Daniel W. Mahoney, who garnered 11,365 votes compared to White's 7,939. Later in 1927, White unsuccessfully sought positions as Alderman and Commissioner of Public Safety but lost to the incumbent Peter Carr.
Third Term
In 1931, White once again reclaimed the mayoralty by defeating Robert S. Maloney with a vote count of 16,218 to 11,597. During April 1933, he took the controversial step of withholding beer sale permits until improvements were made in the city’s financial situation; this action led social clubs to threaten initiating a recall effort against him. In the primary election that year, White finished third behind Walter A. Griffin and Robert F. Hancock.
White passed away on November 28, 1938, at Burke Memorial Hospital in Lawrence at the age of seventy.