Sir Harold Leslie White (14 June 190531 August 1992) was the Parliamentary Librarian of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

from 1947 to 1960, and National Librarian from 1960 until his retirement in 1970.

Career

White joined the staff of the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Library A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

when he was 18 years old in 1923 at 18. Four years later he became deputy librarian and went on to become Parliamentary Librarian in 1947, while simultaneously holding the title of National Librarian.

National Library

As Parliamentary Librarian and later National Librarian, he was known for his relentless advocacy of a separate home for the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

, within the

Parliamentary Triangle, Canberra The National Triangle, which is referred to as the Parliamentary Triangle, is the ceremonial precinct of Canberra, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The National Triangle is formed by Commonwealth, Kings and Constituti ...

. When Sir

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

retired as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

in 1966, he remarked that he "jolly well had to give Harold White the National Library to shut him up".

Honours

White was appointed a

Commander 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 ...

(CBE) in 1962, and

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the New Year's Honours of 1970. In 1983 the Library Association of Australia gave him an H.C.L. Anderson Award (awarded for outstanding service to the library profession).

Family

White was born in

Numurkah, Victoria Numurkah ( ) is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Goulburn Valley Highway, north of Shepparton, in the Shire of Moira. At the , Numurkah had a population of 4,768. History The area was occupied by the Yorta Yorta people prior to ...

and educated at

Invergordon Invergordon (; gd, Inbhir Ghòrdain or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland (council area), Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen. History The town built up around the harbour which was establish ...

Primary School and

Wesley College, Melbourne , motto_translation = Dare To Be Wise , slogan = A ''True'' Education (2010 – Present) , established = 18 January 1866 , type = Independent, day & boarding , gender ...

. He was the father of four children: * David Ogilvie White, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Melbourne (1967–94) * John White, formerly chief executive of the NSW Farmers' Association *

Judith Robinson-Valéry Judith Robinson-Valéry (1 July 1933 – June 29, 2010) was the foundation professor of French and the head of the School of Western European Languages at the University of New South Wales and later a director of research at the Centre National ...

(1933-2010), foundation professor of French and the head of the school of western European languages at the University of NSW and later the director of research at the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique in Paris * Katharine Ogilvie West, author and former visiting scholar in communication and public policy, University of Canberra.

Works

* ''Canberra: A Nation’s Capital'' (1954) * ''The Australian Capital Territory as a region'' (1955) * ''Canberra: A Centre of Learning'' (1955) * ''The Development of the Commonwealth Archives Programme'' (1957)

References

External links

Harold White Fellowships
Australian librarians Australian Knights Bachelor Australian public servants Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 1905 births 1992 deaths People from Canberra Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities Directors-General of the National Library of Australia {{Library-bio-stub