Walter Francis White (1893 - 1955)

Born 1 Jul 1893 in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States of America

Ancestors

Husband of Gladys Leah (Powell) White — married 16 Feb 1922 (to before 1949) in Tompkins, New York, United States

Died 21 Mar 1955 at age 61 in New York City, New York, United States of America

Problems/Questions Profile manager: US Black Heritage Project WikiTree [send private message]

Walter White is a part of US Black history. Join: US Black Heritage Project Discuss: black_heritage

Biography

Walter White is Notable.

Walter Francis White was an American civil rights activist. ^{[1] [2]} He was also an investigator, journalist, novelist, and essayist. ^{[1] [2]} White helped during the launch of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. ^[2] His books, "The Fire in the Flint," which was tranlated into four languages, and "Flight," a semi-autobiographical novel about an African American who was passing as white, were much read. ^[2] He also helped find publishers for Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Nella Larsen. ^[2] White also assisted the careers of Roland Hayes and Marian Anderson. ^[2] In keeping with his reputation as a name dropper, he took credit for convincing a young Paul Robeson to leave his career as an attorney and become an actor and concert singer. ^[2]

He began his career as an assistant to the Executive Secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). ^{[2] [3] [1]} He often traveled to gather information and to investigate over 40 lynchings and riots. ^{[3] [1]} His appearance aided him in this endeavor because although he was of mixed race, he appeared to be Caucasian. His biographer, Kenneth Janken, called him a "voluntary Negro" because he could pass himself off as white when he needed to, but chose to recognize the fact that he was in fact not white. ^[1] In 1917 on his World War I Draft Card, he was described as short in stature, of slender build, blue-eyed with golden hair. ^[4] Conversely, in his 1921 passport application, he was described as tall with a high forehead, blue eyes, medium nose, moustached, medium chin, brown hair, dark complexion (fair crossed out), narrow face. ^[3] By 1942 he is described as 5' 7 1/2" tall, negro, blue eyes, gray hair, light complexion, appendix scar. ^[4]

He succeeded James Weldon Johnson as Executive Secretary of the NAACP, a position he held for twenty-five years. ^{[1] [2] [4]} During his leadership the membership of the NAACP quintupled. ^[2] White oversaw the organization's fight against segregation. ^[2] He also worked with President Truman on desegregating the armed forces after WWII and gave him a draft for the Executive Order to implement this change. ^[2] Under his leadership, the Legal Defense Fund was set up. ^[2] This fund was instrumental to numerous legal challenges to segregation and other disfranchisement. ^[2] They did achieve many successes to include the Supreme Court determination in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which ruled that segregated education was inherently unequal. ^[2]

"Ballad of Walter White" by Langston Hughes

Now Walter White

Is mighty light.

Being a colored man

Who looks like white,

He can go down South

Where a lynching takes place

And the white folks never

Guess his race--

So he investigates

To his heart’s desire

Whereas if he was brownskin

They’d set him on fire!

By being himself

Walter finds out

What them lynchers

Was all about.

But back to New York

Before going to press—

Cause if the crackers ever got him

There’d be one Negro less!

Yes, it’s our good fortune

He was born so light

Cause it’s swell to have a leader

That can pass for white.

Disputed Origins

It is often claimed by descendants that Walter White is descended from US President William Henry Harrison through an affair with one of his slaves resulting in six children. Although his grandmother was named Marie Harrison, this relationship has not been proven. It has also been surmised that Walter was 1/64th black, but that cannot be ascertained at this time.

Birth

Walter Francis White was born 1 July 1893 in Atlanta, Georgia. ^{[4] [5] [3] [6]} His parents were George W. White and Madeline Harrison. ^{[7] [3]}

Marriage

Walter White married Leah Gladys Powell, the daughter of William I. and Harriet Josephine (Miller) Powell. They were married in Tompkins, New York on 16 February 1922. ^[7] Their marriage lasted 27 years before it ended in divorce. ^[2] He secondly married Poppy Cannon (1905-1975), a white woman from South Africa. ^[2] At the time, this union was considered scandalous and his ex-wife and children cut ties with him (most likely because he is rumored to have had an affair with Poppy precipitating the divorce). ^[2]

Children

• Jane (White) Viazzi (1922-2011)
• Walter Carl Darrow White (1927-1975)

Death

Walter died 21 March 1955 in New York City. The "Chicago Defender" one of the most influential black weeklies eulogized White thusly, "Fifty years from today, when the rivers flowing and the democracies have eddied into every area barren of democracy, men the world over will still be acknowledging Walter White as a poet of freedom and author of justice." ^[1] Although President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a statement honoring White and Vice President Richard Nixon announced to the press that he had lost a "very dear and good friend," not long after his death, White seems to have been forgotten as not much of anything was written about him. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Janken, Kenneth Robert. Speech to Library of Congress, 25 February 2003 [transcript], citing his book: Janken, Kenneth Robert. White: the Biography of Walter White, Mr. NAACP, New York: New Press: Distributed by W. W. Norton, 2003. <https://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3327>
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17} https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Francis_White
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} "United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5Y-Y98C : 4 September 2015), Walter Francis White, 1921; citing Passport Application, New York, United States, source certificate #68310, Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925, 1698, NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.) Certificate Number: 68310.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZZ3-XM2 : 12 December 2014), Walter F White, 1917-1918; citing Atlanta City no 4, Georgia, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,556,952.
5. ↑ "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTW3-1WT : 24 November 2020), Walter Francis White, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
6. ↑ "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:242D-P31 : 2 October 2015), Walter White, 1938; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "New York, County Marriages, 1847-1848; 1908-1936," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FFRT-DFH : 9 March 2021), Walter F White, 16 Feb 1922, Tompkins, New York, United States; citing ref. ID , county clerk offices from various counties, New York; FHL microfilm 1,008,785.

Wikidata: Item Q3565918 See also:

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3NB-9M5 : accessed 6 June 2021), Walter F White in household of George W White, Atlanta city Ward 6, Fulton, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 78, sheet 11A, family 295, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,200.

George W. White, Feb 1857, mail carrier

Madaline White, Feb 1864

George M. White, Jul 1883

Alice White, May 1887

Ollie M. White, Nov 1889

Walter F. White, Jul 1892

Ruby White, Jan 1897

Helen White, Mar 1899

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ML2S-4BV : accessed 6 June 2021), Walter F White in household of George W White, Atlanta Ward 6, Fulton, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 85, sheet 10A, family 230, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 192; FHL microfilm 1,374,205.

George W White 54

Madeline White 44

George N White

Ollie M White 20

Walter F White 16

Ruby H White 13

Helen E White 11

Madeline White 9

• Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920., (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA. Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City). Ancestry.com. (1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch). Year: 1920; Census Place: Manhattan Assembly District 21, New York, New York; Roll: T625_1224; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 1436.

Walter White, 26, lodger, hotel porter

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4PM-QML : accessed 6 June 2021), Walter White, Manhattan (Districts 1001-1249), New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1053, sheet 1A, line 17, family 8, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1578; FHL microfilm 2,341,313.

Walter White 35

Gladys White 36

Jane White 7

Walter White 2

• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQGX-Y4X : 14 May 2020), Walter White, Assembly District 21, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-1803, sheet 2B, line 73, family 69, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2667.

Walter White 45

Leah Gladys White 43

Jane White 17

Walter C. D. White 12

See also:

• White, Walter Francis. A Man Called White, The Autobiography of Walter White, New York, New York: The Viking Press, 1948. <https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.5697>