 At the age of sixteen, he joined the Arkansas Army National Guard and served on the border with Mexico during the Pancho Villa Expedition.During World War I, White fought in France as a sergeant in the 142nd Field Artillery Regiment, After the war, White worked in the Los Angeles office of a cotton broker and later worked with cotton mills in Arkansas, California and Tennessee.After going back to California, he became the owner and operator of his own ranch, under his name in Devils Den, California.