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Jesse White Will Not Seek Re-Election As Secretary Of State

By Kate Shepherd in News on Aug 20, 2015 9:17PM

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It will be the end of an era in Illinois in 2019. Secretary of State Jesse White will not run for reelection again, he announced at the Illinois State Fair Thursday.

"Take it to the bank. This is it," White said, according to CBS.

Reading White's impressive resume will exhaust you. Not only is he the longest serving Secretary of State in Illinois, he was a professional baseball player, served as a paratrooper in the Army's 101st Airborne Division, founded the Jesse White Tumblers, was an Illinois State Representative, served as the Cook County Recorder of Deeds and taught in the Chicago Public Schools.

He's not retiring though. After his term is up, he plans on focusing on the Jesse White Tumblers and will stay active in politics, according to the Sun-Times.

"I've had over 16,500 young people," he said in the announcement. "I have a center at 412 West Chicago Avenue. It's called the Jesse White Community Center and Fieldhouse. It's a state-of-the-art gymnastics facility, game room, weight room, computer lab."

There's no word yet on who is interested in replacing White's name on Illinois driver's licenses.

"I just want them to be committed to the job and the responsibility that goes with it," he said.