Born in Prussia, White immigrated to the United States in 1857 with his mother, who settled on a farm in Keokuk County, Iowa. When the American Civil War began in 1861, he joined the 8th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment, but as a seventeen-year-old, he was rejected on account of age. In February 1862, after his eighteenth birthday, he enlisted in the 13th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was mustered out in August 1865, after the war's end, and returned to Keokuk County and engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising.^[1]

In 1890, White received the Democratic nomination to run against incumbent Republican Congressman John F. Lacey for the U.S. House seat in Iowa's 6th congressional district. A protectionist measure known as the McKinley tariff had been approved by a Republican-controlled Congress and signed by a Republican president, but was extremely unpopular, especially in rural areas such as the 6th district, where it was blamed for making the agricultural economy worse. White took advantage of that backlash, and unseated Lacey, serving in the Fifty-second Congress.^[1] However, in the next election, many Iowa voters returned to historic voting patterns, and White (and the other new Iowa Democratic congressmen) were not re-elected. Instead, Lacey reclaimed his seat, and would hold it until 1907. In all, White served in Congress from March 4, 1891, to March 3, 1893.

After his defeat, White retired from public life and resumed agricultural pursuits.

He died in Sigourney, Iowa, on January 14, 1920. He was interred in Sigourney Cemetery.

• United States Congress. "Frederick Edward White (id: W000369)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress