White, Hugh Lawson (1773-1840), an American statesman and jurist, was a Whig Party candidate for president of the United States in 1836. In that year, Vice President Martin Van Buren ran as President Andrew Jackson’s hand-picked successor on the Democratic ticket. The Whigs ran three presidential candidates—Senator Daniel Webster; former Senator William Henry Harrison; and White, who had been a senator since 1825. White won in only two states, Georgia and Tennessee. Van Buren won the presidency.
White was born on Oct. 30, 1773, in Iredell County, North Carolina. He moved to Tennessee, where he became a judge, state senator, and U.S. district attorney. He was a U.S. senator from 1825 to 1840. He died on April 10, 1840.
