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Contribution #323 of 365
George Henry White
Congressman, Lawyer and Black Economic-Development Organizer
1881–1918
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born in North Carolina in 1852 to a free Black mother and a father who had been enslaved, George Henry White became a lawyer, educator and United States representative. After leaving Congress, he helped organize economic-development efforts, including a Black-owned bank and the town of Whitesboro, New Jersey. White linked political advocacy with practical institution building intended to expand property ownership and business opportunity.