White was born in what is now Iredell County, North Carolina (but then part of Rowan County), the eldest son of James White and Mary Lawson White.
 James, a Revolutionary War veteran, moved his family to the Tennessee frontier in the 1780s, and played an active role in the failed State of Franklin.
 In 1786, he constructed White's Fort, which would eventually develop into Knoxville, Tennessee.
 Young Hugh was a sentinel at the fort, and helped manage its small gristmill.
  
In 1791, White's Fort was chosen as the capital of the newly created Southwest Territory, and James White's friend, William Blount, was appointed governor of the territory.
 Hugh Lawson White worked as Blount's personal secretary, and was tutored by early Knoxville minister and educator, Samuel Carrick.
 In 1793, he fought in the territorial militia under John Sevier during the Cherokee–American wars.
 Historian J. G. M. Ramsey credited Hugh Lawson White's company with the killing of the Chickamauga Cherokee war chief, King Fisher, and White's granddaughter and biographer, Nancy Scott, stated that White fired the fatal shot.

White studied law in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, under James Hopkins, and was admitted to the bar in 1796.
 Two years later, he married Elizabeth Carrick, the daughter of his mentor, Samuel.
White was born in what is now Iredell County, North Carolina (but then part of Rowan County), the eldest son of James White and Mary Lawson White.  James, a Revolutionary War veteran, moved his family to the Tennessee frontier in the 1780s, and played an active role in the failed State of Franklin.  In 1786, he constructed White's Fort, which would eventually develop into Knoxville, Tennessee.  Young Hugh was a sentinel at the fort, and helped manage its small gristmill.   
In 1791, White's Fort was chosen as the capital of the newly created Southwest Territory, and James White's friend, William Blount, was appointed governor of the territory.  Hugh Lawson White worked as Blount's personal secretary, and was tutored by early Knoxville minister and educator, Samuel Carrick.  In 1793, he fought in the territorial militia under John Sevier during the Cherokee–American wars.  Historian J. G. M. Ramsey credited Hugh Lawson White's company with the killing of the Chickamauga Cherokee war chief, King Fisher, and White's granddaughter and biographer, Nancy Scott, stated that White fired the fatal shot.
White studied law in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, under James Hopkins, and was admitted to the bar in 1796.  Two years later, he married Elizabeth Carrick, the daughter of his mentor, Samuel.
Hugh Lawson White