John Griswold White (10 August 1845 – 27 August 1928) was a prominent
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
attorney, a
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
connoisseur
A connoisseur (French traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts; who is a keen appreciator o ...
, and a
bibliophile
Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books.
Profile
The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...
.
Early life and education
John Griswold White was born in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, Ohio, in 1845 to Bushnell and Elizabeth Brainard (Clark) White, both originally from
.
White's birthplace was located on what was then Lake Street (near the present-day City Hall).
Both of John Griswold White's parents valued education, and Bushnell White once wrote a letter to the ''
Cleveland Herald and Gazette'' in March 1847 that read in part: "Freedom and equal rights have ever, and always will, exist in proportion to the knowledge of the people." Bushnell White graduated from
Williams College
Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...
, and Elizabeth White graduated from Troy (NY) Female Seminary.
John G. White was born near-sighted but was not diagnosed until he was a teenager. Although fitted with glasses eventually, White usually read without them, preferring (according to his contemporaries) to hold the books close to his face.
White received early education in the Little Red School House of
Northford, Connecticut
Northford is a census-designated place (CDP) comprising the primary village and surrounding residential and rural land in the town of North Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. It is in the northern part of the town, bordered to ...
, at home, and at
Canandaigua Academy. In
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, where books and money were scarce, White learned to read quickly. He befriended a nearby town's bookseller, who allowed him to read while his mother did her weekly shopping.
He later attended Central High School in Cleveland and
Western Reserve College in
Hudson, Ohio
Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan statistical area and the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, th ...
, where he was elected to
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
.
Two of White's favorite college professors were Nathan Perkins Seymour (classics) and
Charles Augustus Young
Charles Augustus Young (15 December 1834 – 4 January 1908) one of the foremost solar spectroscopist astronomers in the United States. He observed solar eclipses and worked on spectroscopy of the Sun. He observed a solar flare with a spec ...
(mathematics and science). He played chess with Young every Wednesday evening, often into the early hours of the morning.
White was the salutatorian at Western Reserve College at his 1865 graduation, and delivered the address in Latin. After graduation, he studied law under his father.
Career
In 1868, White was admitted to the Ohio Bar, and practiced in the U.S. District and
Northern District of Ohio
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ...
. In 1903, he was admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals, and to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1910, receiving the degree of Doctor of Laws from Western Reserve in 1919. White practiced law in 1870, partnering with Robert E. Mix and Judge Conway W. Noble. The law firm's name changed as partners retired or died, and as it joined or absorbed other firms.
Currently named Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell LLP,
the firm remains in operation.
One of White's most prominent cases was as special counsel for the
Cleveland Railway in litigation against
Tom L. Johnson over the Municipal Railway. Later, he helped
Federal Judge Robert W. Tayler in writing the Tayler grant. White also was the attorney for the Catholic Diocese of Northern Ohio under three bishops, though White himself was not Catholic.
White was elected to the Cleveland Public Library's board of directors for the first time on May 5, 1884. He was elected president at a meeting of the "Board of Managers of the Public Library" on May 13, 1884, and served the following year in 1885 as president, also. He became Library Board President again in 1910 until his death in 1928. He also helped appoint
William Brett as director and
Linda Eastman
Linda Anne Eastman (July 7, 1867 – April 5, 1963) was an American librarian. She was selected by the American Library Association (ALA) as one of the 100 most important librarians of the 20th century.
Eastman served as the head Librarian of ...
as Brett's successor.
Marilla Waite Freeman served as head of the library's Main Library building during White's tenure.
In 1884, Cleveland Public Library was thought to be mismanaged. Together with William Brett, White began a survey to discover how other libraries were being managed. In succeeding years, this led to: a newer shelf-classification system for the Cleveland Public Library derived from the
Dewey Decimal System; an open-shelf system allowing patrons access to the collection; and establishing branches, sub-branches, deposit stations, and delivery stations. White, being concerned about Cleveland Public Library staff, established one of the earliest staff annuity plans for public employees.
Personal life
When taking walks, John and his father would engage in intellectual activities such as only speaking Latin one day, Greek another, and having a "Chess Day" where they would play chess by memory with neither pieces nor a board.
White loved romantic novels and stories of the Wild West, in which reading was his primary relaxation. His house on 1871 East 89th Street was permeated with novels and hundreds of books on chess. White wore a beard long after it became unfashionable. He never owned an automobile, and often rode streetcars between his home on Bolton Street, and later East 89th Street and his office downtown. White was a bachelor until his death at age 83.
John G. White Collection
John Griswold White began donating books to the Cleveland Public Library in 1885, presenting
William H. Brett with 122 maps and four books. By 1913, the number had reached 25.000. It was that same year in 1913 the Cleveland Public Library moved to the Kinney-Levan building on upper Euclid Avenue. This warehouse-looking building provided
William H. Brett with space to open White's collection to the public.
John G. White's fascination with chess was lifelong, from the "chess walks" with his father to his collecting chess-related books, information, and materials. "Over a period of some fifty years he conducted a determined quest, throughout the world, for desirable additions to his library," the chess master and author
Al Horowitz
Israel Albert Horowitz (often known as I. A. Horowitz or Al Horowitz) (November 15, 1907 – January 18, 1973) was an American International Master of chess. He is most remembered today for the books he wrote about chess. In 1989 he was induct ...
wrote in 1969.
White's donation of folklore and Orientalia books to the library was influenced by the fact that the library had few books about the Philippines, which the United States acquired, and the major reduction in funds by Mayor Robert McKisson. Thus, when Brett asked for advice on library financial assistance, White agreed to help out by purchasing books out of his own pocket.
After White left the Cleveland Public Library Board in 1886, he noticed the library purchased cheaper, popular books, which prompted him to donate scholarly books to the library. Also, to fill the void of his mother passing away, he had a vision of public service to the Cleveland Public Library.
White owned two personal copies of ''Das erste Jartausend der Schachlitteratur (850-1880) zusammengestellt'' (The First Thousand Years of Chess Literature (850-1880) Compiled) by Antonius van der Linde and turned one into a personal inventory of his collection of books. White would note the items he owned within the text of the book itself but note new titles published since 1880 on a blank page inserted behind each page of van der Linde's work. White's goal was to collect everything published specifically on chess as well as chess manuscripts and any other texts that mentioned or were related to chess, (e.g.,
Through the Looking-Glass
''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...
,
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
''Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám'' is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his 1859 translation from Persian to English of a selection of quatrains (') attributed to Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), dubbed "the Astronomer-Poet of Persia".
Altho ...
).
Chess historian
H. J. R. Murray
Harold James Ruthven Murray (24 June 1868 – 16 May 1955) was a British educationalist, inspector of schools, and prominent chess historian. His book, ''A History of Chess'', is widely regarded as the most authoritative and comprehensive his ...
, who called White's
chess library
Chess libraries are library collections of books and periodicals on the game of chess. In 1913, preeminent chess history, historian H. J. R. Murray estimated the total number of books, magazines, and Chess columns in newspapers, newspaper columns ...
the largest in the world,
made extensive use of the collection in writing his classic treatise ''
A History of Chess
The book ''A History of Chess'' was written by H. J. R. Murray (1868–1955) and published in 1913.
Details
Murray's aim is threefold: to present as complete a record as is possible of the varieties of chess that exist or have existed in differen ...
''.
[H. J. R. Murray, ''A History of Chess'', Oxford University Press, 1913, pp. 179, 353, 479, 573-79, 645, 735, 787, 789, 800, 822, 841. .] White donated his collection to the
Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland Public Library, located in Cleveland, Ohio, operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, 27 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and the Ohio Library for the ...
to form the John G. White Collection on
Folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
,
Orientalia, and
Chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
.
At the time of John. G. White's death in 1928, the valuable collection numbered 60,000 volumes. Gordon W. Thayer shaped the collection through his perceptive knowledge and patterns set by White's will. In 1969, an exhibit titled: "The Remarkable Mr. White," included medieval manuscripts, 16th century chivalry romances, treatises on astrology and witchcraft, books of proverbs and folklore, early dictionaries and grammars in some 7,000 languages represented in the collection and personal diaries.
The library has since split the collection into three:
* The ''John G. White Chess and Checkers Collection'' is described as the "
rgest chess library in the world (32,568 volumes of books and serials, including 6,359 volumes of bound periodicals.)"
* The ''John G. White Folklore Collection'' contains 47,040 volumes, "one of the largest in the nation. It is broadly defined in scope and international in coverage without period restrictions. Included are primitive, peasant, native, and folk cultures within geographic restrictions."
* The ''John G. White Collection of Orientalia'' includes "materials on Asia, the Near and Middle East, Africa, Australia and Oceania," emphasizing "the humanistic and social science aspects of traditional cultures prior to the impact of European influence."
Death
Mr. White left Cleveland for a fishing trip at his favorite mountain resort in
Jackson Lake, Wyoming with his friend and former law associate T.A. McCaslin for a fishing trip. Four weeks into his vacation, White passed away from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
on August 27, 1928.
The funeral service was held at the First Unitarian Church on Euclid Avenue and East 82nd Street, with the Reverend Dilworth Lupton conducting. In attendance were Judge John C. Hutchins, and many of White's young apprentices from his White, Cannon, & Spieth Firm. The Cleveland Public Library closed its doors in the afternoon. In attendance were the Cleveland Public Library administrators, the library's board members, and over 100
librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
s who passed Mr. White in Cleveland Public Library halls with occasional glances. The Reverend Lupton stated "Mr. White was a man rich of deeds, a man who shunned the limelight and publicity. His friends speak of his honesty, courageous thinking and speaking. His love of nature, people and books. He was a man who grew around him a group of friends to whom he was constantly loyal."
References
External links
Diary and Views of Fishing Trips- An 18-volume series of scrapbooks of photographs and notes compiled by John G. White on his trips to the American West and Canada, available via
Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland Public Library, located in Cleveland, Ohio, operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, 27 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and the Ohio Library for the ...
John G. White Archive- Finding aid to collection at
Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland Public Library, located in Cleveland, Ohio, operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, 27 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and the Ohio Library for the ...
. According to the description at the site: "The John G. White Archive contains biographical information, personal correspondence and photographs of Cleveland attorney, President of the Cleveland Public Library's Board of Trustees and internationally known chess collector John Griswold White (1845-1928). The correspondences include communication with librarians William Howard Brett, Linda Eastman and Gordan Thayer, fellow chess enthusiasts and researchers, and friends, including Major Harry A. Auer. The collection also includes awards, personal records and professional legal papers."
John Griswold White, Trustee, and the White Collection in the Cleveland Public Library- A Ph.D. thesis by Motoko B. Yatabe Reece.
* White's personal copy o
Das erste Jartausend der Schachlitteratur (850-1880) zusammengestellt(digitized) with his notations, Digital Gallery,
Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland Public Library, located in Cleveland, Ohio, operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, 27 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and the Ohio Library for the ...
Cleveland Public Library, Special Collections Department
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, John G.
1845 births
1928 deaths
Chess patrons
American book and manuscript collectors
Lawyers from Cleveland
19th-century American lawyers