Alonzo James White (March 22, 1812 – July 1, 1885) was a 19th-century businessman of Charleston, South Carolina who was known as a "notorious" slave trader[1] and prolific auctioneer and thus oversaw the sales of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of enslaved Americans of African descent in his 30-year career in the American slave trade.

Except Alonzo, they have all had the whooping cough—and by means of the blessed discovery of the vaccine, they have escaped that terrible disease, the small pox.

[9] According to the family Bible, babies came regularly for the next few years: "Blake Leay, third child of Alonzo & Eliza White, born the 20th September, 1842.

"[10] At the time of the 1850 U.S. census of the Charleston parish of St. Michael and St. Phillip, White was the legal owner of nine enslaved people, five female, four male, aged two to 36.

[14] On Thursday, March 10, 1853, at 11 a.m., White held an auction at the cobblestoned plaza on the north side of the Charleston Customs House.

[15] The product, which had been delivered to Charleston from the Lowcountry on Monday, March 7 by the steamship Col. Myers, was "a very prime gang of NINETY-SIX NEGROS who have been accustomed to the culture of Rice on the Combahee River, until within the last five years they cultivated Sea Island Cotton.

The negroes, dressed in bright, clean, winter clothes, wearing striped, cotton caps or turbans, and crowded on platforms, were very conspicuous against the background of brick walls.

Grouped about them were planters, traders and curious on-lookers, wearing long coats, high hats and beards of formal cut, listening to the auctioneer, questioning and inspecting the negroes, exchanging opinions and viewing the familiar but, to them, ever-interesting show.

[14] In 1853, White began using an account book that listed slaves to be auctioned and continued to record sales in this ledger until 1863.

[21] The book is held in the South Carolina Historical Society collection and has been scanned into their Low Country Digital Library.

[26] In 1863 owner-editor R. Barnwell Rhett Jr. considered selling the financially challenged Charleston Mercury newspaper to White but they were unable to agree on terms.

[28] In 1866, White was back to work as a broker but was restricted to selling houses, mills, plantations, and foundries, rather than people.

(The young lady was duly hired but quit after four days; her erstwhile employer recorded in a journal: "Diana the 2nd took up her baggage and with her Kind and indulgent Parent returned to her home to enjoy Domestic tranquility & Peace.

White & Son, a firm located at 58 East Bay of "real estate, stock and bond brokers.