Robert Smeaton White (March 15, 1856 – December 5, 1944) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

journalist and political figure. He represented Cardwell from 1888 to 1895,

Mount Royal Mount Royal (french: link=no, Mont Royal, ) is a large intrusive rock hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The best-known hypothesis for the origin of the name Montreal is the hi ...

from 1925 to 1935 and

Saint-Antoine—Westmount St. Antoine—Westmount and Saint-Antoine—Westmount were federal electoral districts in Quebec, Canada, that were represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1935 to 1968. "St. Antoine—Westmount" riding was created in 1933 from part ...

from 1935 to 1940 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. He was born in

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

in 1856, the son of Thomas White and Esther Vine, and studied at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

. In 1882, he married Ruth McDougall. He worked for a wholesale merchant at

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and then the

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...

, before joining the ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'' in 1884. White later became chief editor for the paper. In 1888, he married Annie Barclay after the death of his first wife.''The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1889'' JA Gemmill
/ref> He was first elected to the House of Commons in an 1888 by-election held in Cardwell after the death of his father. In 1896, he was appointed customs collector at

. White ran unsuccessfully as a member of the National Government Party in Saint-Antoine—Westmount in 1940. He died in Westmount on December 5, 1944 at the age of 88.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Robert Smeaton 1856 births 1944 deaths Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Anglophone Quebec people Canadian newspaper editors Canadian male journalists Journalists from Ontario Montreal Gazette people