Grant County NM Archives Biographies.....White, Alvan N. 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 7, 2007, 12:58 pm

Author: R. L. Polk (1912)

ALVAN N. WHITE.

  Hon. Alvan N. White was born near Fallbranch, Washington County, East
Tennessee, May 8, 1869. He was educated in the country public schools of Greene
County, an adjoining county, where his parents took up their residence soon
after marriage, in the high school at Jeraldstown, Tenn., in the old
Presbyterian College near Greeneville, Tenn., known as "Greeneville & Tusculum
College", for three years, 1886-89, and in the Baptist College at Jefferson
City, Tenn., known as "Carson & Newman College", where he graduated with the
first honors of his class in June, 1893, with the degree of A. B. He then took
up teaching in the mountainous parts of his native state, which he successfully
followed for the succeeding three years. At the same time, he read law under
different lawyers, and in February, 1896, he was admitted at Greeneville,
Tennessee, to all courts of the state. March 17, 1896, he located at Silver
City, New Mexico, and for the year following pursued his studies of law and
assisted the then district attorney of the third judicial district. In 1897-8,
he served as city attorney of Silver City and gave his town a progressive
adminstration. In the November election, 1898, he was candidate for
representative from Grant County, but was defeated by a small majority. In 1900,
he was elected County Superintendent of Grant County; was re-elected in 1902,
and again in 1904, serving continuously for six years. He began immediately to
better school conditions, and at the expiration of the six years, he had every
school district upon a good financial basis, modern school buiidings, increased
terms, and more efficient teachers. His administration of school affairs in his
home county gave him a reputation throughout the then territory, and when the
first State Democratic convention met in Santa Fe last October, all eyes turned
to Mr. White as a capable, conservative, practical school man, who would, in
earnest, take hold of the complicated school problems in New Mexico as a state
and build up conditions, not on paper or in theory, but actually and in fact. He
was unanimously nominated by his party and at once entered vigorously into the
month's campaign, visiting as far as possible the counties and addressing the
voters. Next to the governor's contest, the race for state superintendent
overshadowed all other state contests. Mr. White won by a close margin of 111
plurality, although both parties concede New Mexico to be Republican by easily
5,000 majority. Among the things promised the people of the state by Mr. White
was the elimination of politics from the public school system of the state, free
text books and the bettering of the rural districts in an educational way.
Already steps are under way to systematize the rural schools, consolidating
districts where practicable, modern school buildings, more efficient teachers,
and the passage of a free text book law by the Legislature now in session. A
committee is working long hours daily, headed by Mr. White, upon a thorough
revision of the old territorial school laws, and the new school code corrected
and conformed to the Constitution, together with new school legislation
correcting many evils, and a bill for the teaching of industrial education so
far as possible, a free travelling library bill, and other needed legislation in
the public schools, and a high school bill looking to the establishment of high
schools in every county of the state, will certainly be passed by the present
legislature, the educational committees of which are working with the new state
superintendent and promising better legislation and all the needed
appropriations for carrying on the educational affairs. A business, practical
administration may be predicted with certainty. Mr. White listens to theories,
but he is practical above all else, and has already harmonized warring factions,
and all the educational forces are marching one way.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

POLK'S NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA
PICTORIAL STATE GAZETTEER
AND
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
FIRST STATEHOOD EDITION
1912-1913
VOLUME NO. 1
R L. POLK & CO., PUBLISHERS
MEMBERS OF ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN DIRECTORY PUBLISHERS ST. PAUL, MINN.
PUBLISH ALSO GAZETTEERS OF
TEXAS, KANSAS, NEBRASKA, SOUTH DAKOTA, NORTH DAKOTA, WYOMING, UTAH, IDAHO,
OREGON, WASHINGTON, MONTANA, WEST VIRGINIA, MINNESOTA, IOWA, KANSAS, MISSOURI,
ALABAMA, OKLAHOMA, TENNESSEE, MISSISSIPPI,  KENTUCKY, PENNSYLVANIA, WISCONSIN,
INDIANA, MICHIGAN, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, NEW JERSEY, DELAWARE, MARYLAND, NEVADA,
CALIFORNIA.


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