From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

White, Randolf Franklin

(born: 1870  -  died: 1943) Dr. Randolf F. White was a prominent pharmacist in Owensboro, KY, serving both white and African American customers. He was one of the first African American pharmacists in Daviess County.

Dr. White was born in Warrington, FL, the son of Moses and Massie White. His wife Fannie H. White was born in Kentucky. Dr. White and his wife are listed in both the 1920 Daviess County Census and the 1920 U.S. Federal Census.

In 1913, Dr. White was named president of the Pharmaceutical Section of the National Medical Association. He had been a druggist in Lexington, KY  and came to Owensboro in 1901, where he operated his drug store, located at 812 West 5th Street, for 24 years. As a young man, John T. Clark, of the Urban League, had been a pharmacist during the summers at White's Drug Store. In 1925, Dr. White sold his pharmacy to Miley R. Coffield.

By 1930, Dr. White and his wife lived in Louisville, KY at 2504 W. Madison Street. He owned a drugstore, and his wife Fannie was a school teacher [source: 1930 U.S. Federal Census].

Dr. Randolf F. White died on January 1, 1943 [source: Kentucky Death Certificate]. Arrangements were handled by the J. B. Cooper Funeral Home. Dr. White was buried in the Zachery Taylor National Cemetery. He was a veteran of the Spanish-American War.

For more see "The Pharmacy conducted by Dr. R. F. White ...," The Savannah Tribune, 2/7/1914, p. 4; Dr. R. F. White in "Enterprising Owensboro" in Freeman, 6/30/1906, p. 6; Dr. R. F. White on p. 347 under the heading "Pharmaceutical Section" in the Journal of the National Medical Association, 1914, vol. 5, no. 4; "Southern States," The Pharmaceutical Era, 1925, vol. 60, p. 379; and the paragraph at the bottom of column 1 and the top of column 2 of the article "Past Week at Louisville," Freeman, 10/7/1911, p. 1.

Kentucky County & Region

Read about Daviess County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Fayette County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Jefferson County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Owensboro, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Lexington, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Louisville, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Outside Kentucky Place Name

Item Relations

Cite This NKAA Entry:

“White, Randolf Franklin,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed July 26, 2024, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/index.php/items/show/2566.

Last modified: 2022-08-03 16:12:21