Charles Gilbert White (4 November 1880 – 14 August 1966) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician. He was appointed a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council on 22 June 1950.

Early life and family

Born in the

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

suburb of

Andersons Bay Andersons Bay (sometimes spelt in the grammatically correct former form Anderson's Bay, and often known locally simply as "Andy Bay") is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located in the southeast of the city's urban area, sout ...

on 4 November 1880, White was the son of Annie Julia White (née Holmes)—an artist of some note and the daughter of Matthew Holmes—and John White, a barrister and solicitor. He was educated at Otago Boys' High School, and went on to study at the University of Otago, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1901 and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1903. On 21 February 1911, White married Nora Addison-Scott Ramsay at First Church, Dunedin. She was the daughter of businessman and former mayor of Dunedin, Keith Ramsay. The couple went on to have four children, including John White (1911–2007) who became a judge of the High Court and was knighted in the

1982 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1982 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries ...

. White was a director of the Union Steam Ship Company. After the company moved its head office from Dunedin to Wellington in January 1923, the White family moved to Wellington the following month.

Legal career

White began his legal career as a cadet in his father's firm in 1898, and became a partner in the Dunedin practice of his uncle, Allan Holmes, in 1904. He later went into partnership with Douglas Gilkison and Robert Ramsay, before forming the

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

partnership of Young, White and Courtney in 1923. He left that firm in 1934, resuming practice on his own behalf in Wellington. White held a number of commercial directorships, including of the

Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Limited was once the biggest shipping line in the southern hemisphere and New Zealand's largest private-sector employer. It was incorporated by James Mills in Dunedin in 1875 with the backing of a Scot ...

Union Airways of New Zealand Union Airways of New Zealand Limited was New Zealand's first major airline. It was founded in 1935 by local shipping giant Union Company. Its services reached main centres from Auckland to Dunedin and extended to Gisborne and the West Coast of ...

, and Tasman Empire Airways.

Legislative Council

White was appointed to the Legislative Council as a member of the suicide squad nominated by the

First National Government The Anniversary of the First National Government ( es, Primer gobierno patrio) is a public holiday of Argentina, commemorating the May Revolution and the creation of the Primera Junta on May 25, 1810, which is considered the first patriotic govern ...

in 1950 to vote for the abolition of the Council. Most of the new members (like White) were appointed on 22 June 1950, and served until 31 December 1950 when the Council was abolished.

Other activities

White served as vice-president of the Wellington Lawn Tennis Association. He was active in the

New Zealand Red Cross Society New Zealand Red Cross or Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa is a humanitarian organisation, which has more than 9,000 members and volunteers. In New Zealand, Red Cross delivers core community services, such as Meals on Wheels, refugee re-settlement servic ...

for many years, serving on the national council, first representing Otago and later Wellington. He served as chairman of the New Zealand Red Cross national executive from 1942 to 1946. In 1946, White represented Corso (the Council of Organisations for Relief Service Overseas) in New Zealand at the

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in November 1943, it was dissolved in September 1948. it became part o ...

conference in Geneva. In the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginnin ...

, he was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to the New Zealand Red Cross Society.

Death

White died on 14 August 1966, and his ashes were buried at

Karori Cemetery Karori Cemetery is New Zealand's second largest cemetery, located in the Wellington suburb of Karori. History Karori Cemetery opened in 1891 to address overcrowding at Bolton Street Cemetery. In 1909, it received New Zealand's first cremato ...

, Wellington. His wife, Nora, died in 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Charles 1880 births 1966 deaths Politicians from Dunedin People educated at Otago Boys' High School University of Otago alumni 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand National Party MLCs New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire Burials at Karori Cemetery Red Cross personnel