John White (May 6, 1833 – September 24, 1894) was an Ontarian machinist and political figure. He represented

Hastings East Hastings East was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1925. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Hasti ...

in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

member from 1871 to 1887. He was born in

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1833 and grew up there. In 1856, he married Esther Johnston. He operated a cheese factory on the

Moira River The Moira River is a river in Hastings County in eastern Ontario, Canada. It travels from its source in the centre of the county to the Bay of Quinte at the county seat Belleville . Name Originally named the Sagonaska River by the indigenous peo ...

near the town of Roslin. White served as reeve for Tyendinaga. He was elected to the House of Commons by acclamation in an 1871 by-election after the sitting member was named to the Senate. White was Grand Master for the

Orange Lodge The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots people, Ulster Sco ...

in Ontario East and, in 1874, became Deputy Grand Master for British North America. He died in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

at the age of 61. History professor

Donald Akenson Donald Harman Akenson (born May 22, 1941, Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American historian and author. Notably prolific, he has written at least 23 book-length, scholarly monographs, 3 jointly-authored scholarly books, 6 works of fiction and histo ...

of Queen's University, in his book ''At Face Value'', proposed that this John White may have actually been Eliza McCormack White, John White's sister, and so, the first woman elected to the House of Commons.''At Face Value: The Life and Times of Eliza McCormack/John White'', Don Akenson McGill-Queen's University Press (1990) () Akenson later revealed the book to be a hoax based on Daniel Defoe's ''Moll Flanders''.T. F. Rigelhof
"Piratical, Political Prank Blurred Boundaries"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', April 10, 2009.

References

1833 births 1894 deaths Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent Politicians from County Donegal Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario People from Donegal (town) {{HistoricalConservative-Ontario-MP-stub