Book Review

Benjamin R. Justesen tries to accomplish the impossible. His biography is an attempt to chronicle the life of George Henry White, who was the last black member of Congress at the close of the nineteenth century. The reason this biography is a challenge for Justesen is because White left no personal papers. The author has tried to put together a history of this man's life by using public records, census data, newspapers articles, personal recollections, and speeches. The fact that Justesen has done so much with so little is a contribution in and of itself. The author utilizes those limited resources to paint a vivid picture of White as a misunderstood man. Conservative southern whites believed White was a radical social reformer, even though he had a working relationship with Booker T. Washington and toned down his already moderate rhetoric during a speech at the Tuskegee Institute. The author chronicles a life of frustration for White, who battled conservative southern politicians over racial injustice and members of his own Republican party who were then abandoning their black constituency. Finally, White followed his short political tenure with successful business ventures in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.

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