Jesse White
By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
Alabama State University alumnus, the Honorable Jesse White, has received another prestigious recognition for his esteemed and unmatched record of public service in his home state. In a unanimous vote of both the Illinois House and Senate, the government building at 115 South LaSalle Street was renamed the Jesse White State of Illinois Building. The facility’s new name was recently unveiled in a ceremony that included Governor J.B. Pritzker. The building houses more than 15 state agencies, including Chicago offices for the Illinois Secretary of State and the Illinois Attorney General.
White attended Alabama State University, then known as Alabama State College, where he played both baseball and basketball, and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1957. A native of Alton, Illinois, White was first elected as Secretary of State in 1999 and served until 2023. He was the first African American elected to that office. White also served in the Illinois House of Representatives for 16 years, was the Cook County Recorder of Deeds for six years and was also a school teacher.
“I am proud to have a State of Illinois building named in my honor,” White said. “I hope that the Jesse White State of Illinois Building will inspire future generations of all backgrounds to serve with honor and excellence.”
White has long been a champion of mentorship programs related to young people. His longstanding record of community service includes the founding of the Jesse White Tumblers, a group that has earned international recognition and impacted the lives of thousands of Illinois youth since it began in 1959.
While in office, White amassed an impressive list of changes that served as a catalyst for reform, including improved customer service, technological advances, and advanced organ and tissue donation efforts across the state.
During the dedication ceremony, Pritzer praised the ASU alumnus for his decades of successful leadership.
“As the longest serving Secretary of State in our history, Secretary White spent his career doing something good for the people of Illinois every single day,” said Pritzer. “He championed good and honest government at a time when our state needed it the most —putting us on a path to progress by rooting out the corruption and insider dealings that had defined our institutions. I cannot think of a more appropriate name than the Jesse White State of Illinois Building, which will serve generations of Illinoisans and stand as a symbol of strong, effective government for years to come.”