Profile

ABOUT JESSE WHITE

Jesse White was born and raised in Washington County, Pennsylvania, which is about 30 minutes south of Pittsburgh. He earned a degree in Political Science from Washington & Jefferson College in 2000 and earned his law degree from Duquesne University in 2003.

During his final year of law school, Jesse was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Cecil Township Board of Supervisors; age 23 years of age, he became the youngest Township Supervisor in the history of the municipality. This experience fueled Jesse’s passion for public service that led him to challenge a twenty-four year State Legislator in the 2004 Primary Election. Jesse lost the 2004 race by only several hundred votes but used the defeat as a teachable moment that allowed him to win the seat two years later in 2006.

Jesse served as State Representative for the people of the 46th Legislative District for four terms, from 2006 – 2014. During his tenure, Jesse became known for his aggressive advocacy on behalf of his constituents, earning him the nickname “Bulldog” by many of his colleagues in the State Capitol. He fought to bring home approximately $70 million in funding for various projects in his district ranging from basic infrastructure needs like water and sewerage to large-scale economic development funds to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.

Jesse’s legislative district was the epicenter of the “fracking” phenomenon for extracting natural gas, with many drilling companies locating to the area and many constituents signing leases for drilling on their property. This created serious challenges, as the process was brand new. There was little information about what was happening and even less regulation to protect residents.

Before long, Jesse began to uncover evidence of serious corruption between the energy industry and certain branches of state and local government. Refusing to “go along to get along”, he worked tirelessly to discover the truth, which was ultimately revealed in the pages of the New York Times in late 2012.

When the Legislature passed a law that same year to strip local communities of their zoning protection, thereby handing a massive unconstitutional advantage to the drilling companies, Jesse worked with several of the communities in his district to mount what many called a long-shot legal challenge. After a series of lower court victories in which Jesse’s training and skills as a lawyer came in quite handy, the PA Supreme Court ultimately struck down the law as unconstitutional in 2014.

By this point, the energy industry painted a political target on Jesse’s back because of the high-profile attention being drawn to the corruption in his district. After the energy industry steered over $400,000 in campaign money against him in the 2014 General Election, Jesse lost his seat in the Legislature and focused on starting a family. Jesse and his wife Eileen welcomed their first son Atticus in 2014, and Augustus arrived in 2015.

As part of dealing with the aftermath of what could only be called a personal and political smear campaign, Jesse focused on his law firm until April 2017 when he stepped away from active practice and began to seek new opportunities. He is actively seeking a stable position where he can utilize his talent and passion to make a difference.

In the summer of 2019, Jesse and his family relocated to the Harrisburg, PA area, but he is currently willing to consider all viable offers for employment.