U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- White, Alexander ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aler's History of Martinsburg and Berkeley County, West Virginia by F. Vernon Aler, 1888 Printed for the Author by The Mail Publishing Company, Hagerstown, MD. CHAPTER VIII. Historical Pen Sketches of the Early Residents of Berkeley County by the late Hon. Chas. James Faulkner. Pages 178-179, ALEXANDER WHITE Was among the earliest of those who presented their licenses and qualified as practitioners of law in this county. This was on the first day that the first court was held in Berkeley county, May 19th, 1772. The proper oath of an attorney-at-law was duly administered to him, Philip Pendleton and four others. On the same day, as the record reads. "Alexander White having produced a commission from the Attorney General of this county, appointing him deputy attorney for this county, the same being read, he having taken the usual oath, and sworn Deputy King's attorney for this county." Mr. White was elected the first member of Congress from this District, under the present Constitution of the United States. He was a man of marked punctuality and system, and a slight evidence of this may be seen in the fact, that he was the only member of Congress from Virginia who was present on the first day of its session. The Annals of Congress are meager in the debates of that period, although accurate so far as they give the substance of the remarks made — a practice that should never have been departed from. Mr. White took a prominent part in all the debates of that term of Congress, and as our enlightened statesmen were then laying the foundation of our legislative system, the subjects before them were necessarily numerous, important and interesting. He bore the reputation of a man of learning, of great ability and of ardent patriotism. Mr, White was re-elected to the 2nd Congress in 1791, Over his two competitors, Generals William Darke and James Wood. In 1798 he was commissioned as magistrate of Berkeley county. Mr. White was dragged from his retirement to represent the county of Berkeley in the House of Delegates of Virginia, during the important sessions of 1799 and 1800, when the celebrated report and resolutions of Mr. Madison were the subject of such earnest debate, and which gave such an impulse to the Revolution which brought Mr. Jefferson into power. As has been already stated Alexander White was the first representative in Congress from this District under the present Constitution of the United States. That election occurred on the 2nd of February, 1789. At that time no census had been taken of the population of the States, and the Constitution provided "until such enumeration was made," Virginia should be entitled to ten members in the House of Representatives. The General Assembly therefore laid off the State into ten districts, making the counties of Berkeley, Hampshire, Shenandoah, Hardy, Monongalia, Ohio, Randolph and Frederick the first district. It was from this district that Mr. White was elected in 1789, and re-elected in February, 1791. After the census of 1790 was completed and Congress had fixed the ratio of representation, Virginia became entitled to 19 representatives and the legislature then divided the State into 19 districts making "Berkeley and Frederick" the first District, which so continued until after the census of 1800. The first election under this apportionment was on the third Monday in March, 1793, when Robert Rutherford was returned. He was re-elected in 1795, General Daniel Morgan in 1797; and David Holmes, subsequently Governor of Mississippi and U. S. Senator from that State, was then elected and continued in Congress until the District was changed under the apportionment of the census of 1800. ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Berkeley County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/berkeley/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------