White was born in
Colebrook,
New Hampshire. His father was a doctor. In 1837 his family moved to
Beloit, Wisconsin, and White graduated at
Beloit College in 1853. In 1854, he became city editor of the
Chicago Evening Journal. In 1856-57 he served as assistant secretary of the
National Kansas Committee. As a reporter for the
Chicago Tribune he accompanied
Abraham Lincoln in 1858 in his campaign against
Stephen A. Douglas, his account being published in
Herndon's Life of Lincoln. As a result, he became friends with Lincoln and
Henry Villard. Villard was covering the debates for the
New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung. In 1861, White became the
Washington correspondent of the
Tribune. He headed a syndicate for the publication of Civil War news during 1864. From 1864 to 1874 he was editor in chief and one of the owners of the
Chicago Tribune. He left the
Tribune due to ill health. In 1877, he joined Villard to work successively in two railway firms, and then in 1881, when Villard bought the
New York Evening Post and
The Nation, White, along with
Carl Schurz and
Edwin L. Godkin, managed the enterprise. Schurz left in 1883, and Godkin assumed the role of editor in chief. In 1899, White succeeded Godkin as editor in chief, and he held that position until his retirement in 1903. In 1909, he was appointed to the New York State Commission on Speculation and Commodities. He was widely known for his able discussions of currency and banking problems. He was struck by an automobile in New York City, and died shortly thereafter. He was buried at
Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. ==Works==