Beverly Jean White (née Larson; September 2, 1928May 24, 2021) was an American activist and politician who served in the Utah House of Representatives from the 57th, 64th, and 21st districts from 1971 to 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She was the longest-serving female member of the Utah State Legislature. White held multiple positions in the Democratic Party at the local, state, and national levels and also attended many state and national conventions.
White was born in Salt Lake City, and grew up in Tooele, Utah. She was educated at Tooele High School. She married Floyd White, who also became involved in politics. She entered politics with her involvement in the Tooele County Democratic Ladies Club and later became active in the Tooele County Democratic Party.
White served as vice-chair of the Tooele County Democratic Party, secretary of the Utah Democratic Party for sixteen years, and on the Rules Committee of the Democratic National Committee. She was a delegate to multiple state conventions of the Utah Democratic Party and as a delegate to every Democratic National Convention from 1964 to 2004, with the exception of 1976 when she was an alternate delegate.
She first held office with her appointment to the Utah Board of Pardons by Governor Cal Rampton. She was on the board until Rampton appointed her to fill a vacancy in the state house created by Representative F. Chileon Halladay's death. During her tenure in the state house she was at times the only female chair of a committee and served as Assistant Whip while in the majority and minority. She lost reelection in the 1990 election to Republican nominee Merrill Nelson. Following her tenure in the state house she served on a hospital board, wrote a book about female legislators, and aided in the creation of a satellite campus for Utah State University. She died in 2021.
Early life
Beverly Jean Larson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 2, 1928, to Helene and Gustave Larson. Her mother died when she was twelve and she was raised by her aunt Margret and uncle Dunn. She graduated from Tooele High School. In 1947, she married Floyd White, with whom she had five children, at the Salt Lake Temple. Her husband was elected to the city council and Bish White, her father-in-law, was elected as sheriff of Tooele County.
Career
Politics
White was elected as president of the Tooele County Democratic Ladies Club in 1959. She served as vice-chair of the Tooele County Democratic Party during the 1960s. She served as a delegate to the Utah Democratic Party's state convention multiple times. She served as secretary of the Utah Democratic Party for sixteen years until she was defeated by D'Arcy Dixon in 1987. White was selected to serve on the Rules Committee of the Democratic National Committee in 1972.
White attended every Democratic National Convention as a delegate from 1964 to 2004, with the exception of the 1976 Democratic National Convention. She served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention during the 1964, 1988, 1996, and 2004 presidential elections. During the 1968 Democratic presidential primary she served as an uncommitted delegate as a part of Utah's twenty-six member delegation to the Democratic National Convention. During the 1972 presidential election she served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and was the secretary of the Utah delegation. During the 1976 presidential election she served as an uncommitted alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention. During the 1980 Democratic presidential primary she served as a delegate for Senator Ted Kennedy to the Democratic National Convention. During the 1984 Democratic presidential primary she served as one of two uncommitted delegates, although she voted for Gary Hart, to the Democratic National Convention while sixteen of Utah's delegates supported Hart and nine supported Walter Mondale. During the 2000 presidential election she served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and was the oldest member of Utah's twenty-nine member delegation to the convention.
She was a member of the Juvenile Court Advisory Board. She was appointed by Governor Cal Rampton and approved by the Utah Senate to serve on the Utah Board of Pardons for the Utah State Prison for a six-year term becoming the first woman to serve on the board, but left early to take a seat in the Utah House of Representatives.