Luke White (died 1824)

Luke White
Born	Template:Birth date
Died
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, bookseller, lottery manager, politician
Years active	1778–1824
Known for	Bookselling and auction business; financier of government during Irish Rebellion of 1798; Member of Parliament for Leitrim (1818–1824)

Luke White (circa 1740 or 1750 – 25 February 1824) was an Irish entrepreneur involved in bookselling, lottery management, and a Whig political figure.

Initially, he struggled as a bookseller, starting his career in Belfast before establishing an auction business in Dublin from 1778, where he engaged in purchasing and reselling items across Ireland. During the Irish Rebellion of 1798, he financially backed the government with a loan amounting to £1 million, offering shares at £65 per £100 with a 5% return.

In the year 1800, White acquired Luttrellstown Castle from Henry Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton, subsequently renaming it Woodlands to dissociate it from its previous owner. He held the office of High Sheriff for County Dublin in 1804 and later for Longford in 1806. His political career advanced when he became a Member of Parliament for Leitrim in the British House of Commons in 1818, a position he maintained until his passing in 1824.

White's first marriage was to Elizabeth de la Mazière in 1781; together they had four sons and three daughters. He remarried in 1800 to Arabella Fortescue, daughter of William Fortescue, with whom he had one son. Upon his death in Mayfair, his estate included properties yielding an annual income of £175,000. The inheritance was passed to his fourth son, Henry White, who was subsequently ennobled as Baron Annaly. His second son Samuel also served as MP for Leitrim, while his third son Luke Jr. represented Longford.