White, Byron Raymond (1917-2002), was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1962 to 1993. President John F. Kennedy appointed him to succeed Justice Charles E. Whittaker, who had retired. White was deputy attorney general at the time of his appointment.
White sided with liberals in supporting school desegregation and affirmative action (see Affirmative action ). However, he took conservative positions on a number of other issues. For example, White opposed court decisions that strengthened safeguards designed to assure that people accused of a crime are treated fairly. He also objected to the belief that the U.S. Constitution guarantees individuals a right to privacy. Thus, White opposed decisions that declared certain state laws against abortion invalid. He also wrote a majority opinion upholding a state law that made homosexual acts a crime.
White was born on June 8, 1917, in Fort Collins, Colorado. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 1938 and from Yale Law School in 1946. He won national fame and the nickname “Whizzer” as an all-American halfback at Colorado. He played professional football to help finance his law studies. After completing law school, White served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson. He joined a Denver law firm in 1947 and became a partner in 1950. White was appointed deputy attorney general in 1961. White died on April 15, 2002.
