John Barber White

John Barber White
Born	Near Jamestown, New York, U.S.
Died	5 January 1923(1923-01-05) (aged 75) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician
Years active	1868–1922
Known for	Co-founder of Missouri Lumber and Mining Company; member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives

John Barber White (December 8, 1847 – January 5, 1923) was a prominent American entrepreneur in the lumber industry and a co-founder of the Missouri Lumber and Mining Company. Additionally, he held a legislative seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Early life

White was born close to Jamestown, New York to parents Rebekah (née Barber) and John White. His father managed sawmills located in Ulster County, New York and Chautauqua County, New York but died when White was only five years old. He received his education through public schools and Jamestown Academy, where he later taught for three terms while simultaneously acquiring foundational knowledge in the lumber trade.

Career

In 1868, White partnered with two Jenner brothers to purchase approximately of pine timber in Youngstown, Pennsylvania. By 1870, he had acquired their shares and joined forces with R. A. Kinnear to operate lumber yards in Brady and Petrolia, Pennsylvania. Four years later, he divested these holdings and relocated to Tidioute, Pennsylvania, where he bought the Arcade mill and launched a lumberyard in Scrubgrass. In 1876, White further expanded by acquiring a stave, heading, and shingle mill in Irvineton.

Although aligned with the Republican Party, White was nominated by both the Democratic and Greenback parties to serve in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1878 to 1879. He also took on management of the Warren County News newspaper before eventually selling it.

In 1880, White joined forces with the Grandin brothers and other investors such as Henry H. Cumings and Jahu Hunter to establish the Missouri Lumber and Mining Company. The business shifted its base to West Eminence, Missouri, officially incorporating in Kansas City by 1892, where White assumed roles as president and general manager.

He broadened his lumber ventures by founding the Louisiana Long Leaf Lumber Company in 1899 and the Louisiana Central Lumber Company in 1901. White also served as president of the Missouri Lumber and Land Exchange (which later became Exchange Sawmills Sales Company) and co-founded the Forest Lumber Company of Louisiana, which operated retail outlets throughout Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Oklahoma. In 1920, his enterprises purchased from the Gould heirs to develop major operations: Louisiana Sawmill Company in Glenmora, Louisiana and White Grandin Lumber Company in Slagle, Louisiana. By that year, his son had taken on increased leadership duties while White transitioned to chairman of the board for these entities in 1922. He also presided over both the Missouri and Arkansas Lumber Association as well as the Southern Lumber Manufacturers' Association.

During Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, White engaged actively in conservation initiatives. He was president of the National Conservation Congress in 1911 and served on the Missouri Forestry Commission under Governors Folk and Hadley. Roosevelt appointed him as a personal investigator for matters concerning the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in 1905. Prior to 1907, White was president of the Bank of Poplar Bluff; subsequently, he held executive positions with First National Bank in Kansas City and served as a director at New England National Bank.

In January 1917, President Woodrow Wilson appointed White to serve on the shipping board during World War I; however, he resigned that July due to health complications.

White also held prominent roles within historical and genealogical organizations including deputy governor general of the Missouri Society of Colonial Wars and a nine-year tenure as president of the Missouri Valley Historical Society. His memberships extended to groups such as the Sons of the Revolution, Holstein-Friesian Association, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, National Geographic Society, and American Society of International Law.

Personal life

In 1874, White wed Arabell Bowen from Chautauqua County, New York, and together they had two children. Following her passing around 1879, he remarried in 1882 to Emma Siggins of Youngstown, Pennsylvania, with whom he fathered three additional children. At the time of his passing, White possessed a genealogical library appraised at $40,000 and owned a summer residence located at Bemus Point on Chautauqua Lake. His primary home was situated at 616 East 36th Street in Kansas City.

White passed away on January 5, 1923, at a research hospital in Kansas City and was laid to rest at Mount Washington Cemetery in Independence, Missouri.

Legacy

In memory of his son John Franklin White, who died in 1900, White established the White Memorial High School in Youngstown, Pennsylvania. Additionally, he created a scholarship fund at Williams College to honor his son's legacy.

External links

• Kansas City Public Library: John Barber White papers