Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/500

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WHITE
WHITE

impaired health, returned to Syracuse, where he had formerly resided, was elected to the state senate for that place, and was re-elected in 1864. While state senator he introduced bills that codified the school laws, created the new system of normal schools, and incorporated Cornell university. In 1867 he became first president of Cornell, which post he filled until failing health compelled him to retire in 1885. He visited Europe in 1867-'8 for the purpose of examining into the organiza- tion of the principal schools of agriculture and technology and of purchasing books and apparatus for his university at the request of its trustees. In January, 1871, he was appointed one of the U. S. commissioners to Santo Domingo, and aided in preparing the report of the commission. He was president of the Republican state convention of New York in October, 1871, and was U. S. minister to Germany from 1879 till 1881. From his own resources President White contributed about $100,- 000 to the equipment of Cornell university, and on 19 Jan., 1887, he endowed the new school of history and political science in that institution with his historical library numbering 30,000 vol- umes, besides 10,000 valuable pamphlets and many manuscripts, all of which cost him more than $100,000. As a permanent tribute to him the board of college managers decided to designate the new school as "The President White school of history and political science." Besides con- tributions to periodicals, he has published " Out- lines of a Course of Lectures on History " (Detroit, 1861); "A Word from the Northwest" (London. 1863), in response to strictures in the American "Diary" of Dr. William Howard Russell: "Syl- labus of Lectures on Modern History" (Ithaca, 1876); "The Warfare of Science" (New York, 1876); " The New Germany " (1882) ; "On Studies in General History and in the History of Civiliza- tion "(1885); and "A History of the Doctrine of Comets" (1886). — His cousin, Edwin, artist, b. in South Hadley, Mass., 21 May, 1817 ; d. in Sara- toga Springs, N. Y., 7 June, 1877, began to paint when he was a boy, was elected an associate of the National academy in 1848. and in the follow- ing year became a full academician. In 1850, and again in 1869, he went abroad, and studied in Paris, Rome, Florence, and Dusseldorf. He re- turned to the United States in 1875, and opened a studio in New York. He executed a large num- ber of paintings, most of them historical. These include " Washington resigning his Commission," which was bought by Maryland for $6,000. and now in Annapolis; "Milton's Visit to Galileo"; " Requiem of De Soto " ; " Pocahontas informing Smith of the Conspiracy of the Indians " ; " Old Age of Milton" (1848); and "First Printing of the Bible." Among his portraits are those of Elihu Burritt and S. Wells Williams. He be- queathed his " Antiquary " to the Metropolitan museum (New York), " Leonardo da Vinci and his Pupils" (1868) to Amherst college, and an unfin- ished picture of the signing of the compact on the "Mayflower" to Yale. The New York historical society owns his " Murillo sketching the Beggar- Boy "(1865); the Museum of fine arts, Boston," his "Interior of the Bargello, Florence" (1875); and his " Age's Revery " (1847) is at the U. S. military academy. West Point.


WHITE, Anthony Walton, soldier, b. in New Brunswick, N. J., 7 July, 1750; d. there, 10 Feb., 1803. He was descended from Anthony White, a royalist, who, after the execution of Charles I., re- moved to Bermuda and became Connected with the government of the islands, of which his son, Anthony, and grandson, Leonard, were chief jus- tices. Leonard's son, Anthony, removed to this country and mar- ried Elizabeth, daughter of Gov. Lewis Morris, of New Jersey. Their son, Anthony Wal- ton, received hised- ucation under the immediate direc- tion of his father, who was a man of great wealth and the holder of sev- eral important of- fices. Until the age of twenty-five his time was em- ployed in study and in assisting his father in the man- agement of his large estates. In

October. 1775, he

obtained a commission as major and aide-de-camp to Gen. Wash- ington. On 9 Feb., 1776, he was commissioned by congress as lieutenant-colonel of the 3d battalion of New Jersey troops, and he was actively engaged in the service at the north till 1780, being succes- sively appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 4th regi- ment of light dragoons in the Continental army, 13 Feb., 1777, lieutenant-colonel commandant of the 1st regiment, 10 Dec, 1779, and colonel, 16 Feb., 1780. At this time he was ordered by Wash- ington to take command of all the cavalry in the southern army, and upon his own personal credit equipped two regiments, with which to operate against Lord Cornwallis in South Carolina. On 6 May, 1780, with the remnant of Maj. Benjamin Huger's cavalry, he crossed Santee river and cap- tured a small party of British ; but while waiting at Lanneau's ferry to recross the river he was sur- prised and defeated by Col. Bannastre Tarleton, and he and many of his troops were taken prison- ers. In 1781 he was ordered to join the army un- der Lafayette in Virginia, and on his march to that state had several successful encounters with Col. Tarleton. He was present with Gen. Anthony Wayne in the movement of that commander before Savannah on 21 May, 1782 ; and, on the evacuation of that place, returned to Charleston, S. G, where he became security for the debts of the officers and men of his regiments, who were in want of almost all the necessaries of life. These debts he was sub- sequently obliged to pay at enormous sacrifices of his own property, and, on returning to the north at the close of the war, his financial ruin was com- pleted by entering into speculation at the persua- sion of military friends. In 1793 he removed from New, York, where he had resided for about ten years, to his native town, and in the following year was appointed by President Washington general of cav- alry in the expedition against the western insur- gents. Gen. White died at a comparatively early age, and was buried in the grounds of Christ church, in his native place. See " Memoir of Brig.-Gen. Anthony Walton White," by Anna M. W. Wood- hull (Newark. 1882).


WHITE, Charles, clergyman, b. in Randolph, Vt., 28 Dec, 1795 ; d. in Crawfordsville. Ind., 29 Oct., 1861. He was graduated at Dartmouth in 1821, studied at Andover in 1821-'3, and was pastor of the Congregational church in Thetford, Vt.,