Samuel White

Samuel White (December 1770 – November 4 1809) was a Senator from the state of Delaware during the early years of the United States.

White was born in Dover in Kent County, Delaware at Mispillion Hundred in December of 1770. He was admitted to the bar in 1793 after graduating from Cokesbury College in Maryland. White was early engaged in local politics and served two years as a captain in the United States Army.

He was chosen as Senator from Delaware in 1801 after the resignation of Dr. Henry Latimer. He would be reelected in 1803 and 1809 and remain a Senator until his death in Wilmington, Delaware in November of 1809. He was a member of the Federalist Party, was popular in the party, and opposed slavery.

White is noteworthy for his opposition to the Louisiana Purchase. New England Federalists were opposed to the purchase on the strict Constitutional grounds and White opposed every proposal relating to the purchase. However, this stand did not translate into votes and he was one of the few Federalist Senators who survived the general election.

Quotes:

"when I contemplate the evils that may arise to these States, from this intended incorporation of Louisiana into the Union, I would rather see it given to France, or to Spain, or to any other nation ... upon the mere condition that no citizen of the United States should ever settle within its limits ..." -- on November 3, 1803 after the purchase of the Louisiana Territory