Justin DuPratt White (1869–1939) was an American

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

best known for co-founding the

White & Case White & Case LLP is a global law firm based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the firm has 46 offices in 31 countries worldwide and has been ranked among the top ten firms worldwide by revenue. History The firm was launched on May 1, 1901 wh ...

law firm. In 1939 he was chairman of the

Cornell University Board of Trustees The Cornell University Board of Trustees is the board of trustees for Cornell University, a private, Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York. The board is vested with "supreme control" over the entire university, in accordance to universit ...

Early life and education

White was born in Middletown, New York in 1869. He was the third of four children born to Charles White, a merchant, and Elizabeth White. White graduated from Nyack High School in 1885 among the first class of students to be awarded state diplomas. He earned a scholarship to Cornell University, where he was editor of the Cornell Daily Sun and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He graduated from

Cornell Law School Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. One of the five Ivy League law schools, it offers four law degree programs, JD, LLM, MSLS and JSD, along with several dual-deg ...

with an LL.B. in 1890, and was admitted to the

New York State Bar The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice; ...

in 1892.

White & Case LLP

On May 1, 1901, White and George B. Case founded the law firm

, which served prominent corporate clients such as

Bankers Trust Company Bankers Trust was a historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons in 1997 before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1999. Deutsche Bank sold the Trust and Custody division of Bankers Trust to State Street Corpor ...

, as well as Cornell University.

Honors and awards

In 1919, White received a ''Chevalier'' of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

by the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

awarded White an LLD degree in 1936. He was named as a commissioner of the

Palisades Interstate Park The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jersey. The Palisades, a Na ...

in 1900. He served as president of the

Palisades Interstate Park Commission The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jersey. The Palisades, a Na ...

from 1925 until 1939.

Involvement with Cornell University

On May 5, 1928, the Cornell University Board of Trustees elected White as a trustee to fill a vacancy, and he continued to serve until his death.
Cornell Alumni News, May 28, 1928 p. 386 While on the board, White served on the Buildings and Grounds Committee, Law School Committee, and Medical School Committee. He was elected chairman of the board of trustees in 1939, but because of his untimely death, had the shortest tenure as chairman in the university's history. In his will, which was 30 pages long, White stipulated that any funds from his multi-million dollar beyond the first eight beneficiaries go to Cornell University.

Legacy

White & Case endowed the J. DuPratt White Professorship of Law at Cornell Law School, Cornell in his honor.

References

External links

Guide to the J. DuPratt White Papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Justin DuPratt Cornell Law School alumni 1869 births 1939 deaths New York (state) lawyers