James Martin White
Encyclopedia
James Martin White (1857 – 7 July 1928) was a wealthy Scottish
businessman and Liberal Party
politician. He also took a keen interest in the establishment of the scientific study of sociology
and was an enthusiastic supporter of the development of the pipe organ
.
White was born in New York
, and was the son of James Farquhar White and his wife Elizabeth. The family home was Castle Huntly
, Perthshire
. In the 1870s they moved to a baronial castle at Balruddery, Forfarshire, near the city of Dundee
.
He first stood for Parliament at the 1892 general election
, when he unsuccessfully contested St Andrews Burghs
. When the Liberal member of parliament for Forfarshire
, Sir John Rigby
was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal
in 1894, it was expected that White would be the party's candidate at the ensuing by-election
. However, a London based stock-broker, Henry Robson was chosen, with the result that the seat was lost to the Liberal Unionists
.
A general election was held in the following year
, and on this occasion White was chosen to contest the seat. He regained the seat comfortably for the Liberals, with a majority of 441 votes.
His membership of the Commons was to be brief, however. Following weeks of rumours, the Dundee Advertiser reported on 14 November 1896 that he had resigned his seat. This was initially denied by his private secretary, who stated that he simply gone to India on business, and expected to return for the opening of parliament. However, on 20 November, the executive committee of the Forfarshire Liberal Association received an angry letter from White. In it, he stated that he had not intended to resign. However he felt the story had been inserted in the Advertiser by members of the committee, and this act of disloyalty meant that he no longer had any obligations to the party. Accordingly he resigned his seat, by accepting appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds.
White was subsequently chosen as prospective Liberal candidate for the Wilton Division of Wiltshire
. However, when a by-election
occurred in July 1900, the Second Boer War
was in progress. The party decided not to contest the seat, allowing James Morrison
, an army officer, invalided from the front in South Africa, to be returned unopposed. At the general election in October 1900
, White did contest Wilton, but Morrison held the seat with a majority of 841 votes (12.6% of the total).
At the 1906 general election
, he failed to be elected at Great Yarmouth
. He lodged an election petition
, attempting to have the result overturned due to alleged bribery, treating and illegal payments by his Conservative opponent Arthur Fell
. The election court found that treating and bribery had indeed taken place, but the two judges sitting on the case did not agree whether Fell was responsible for the actions of a Mr Baker who was found to have had acted illegally. The first judge, Justice Channell, held that Baker was acting as an agent of Fell; but the more senior judge, Justice Grantham
, held that Fell was not responsible, and the petition was therefore dismissed. However, the outcome was widely denounced as perverse, and was one of a series of election petition judgments in which Grantham (himself a former Conservative MP) was seen to have acted in a partisan manner. The judgment in the Yarmouth petition was the subject of a debate in the Commons in July 1906 in which Grantham's partisanship was widely condemned.
, and endowed a chair of botany for him at University College Dundee
. Geddes was developing the field of sociology
, and White began generously funding the teaching of the subject at the University of London
. He eventually provided an endowment to create a Department of Sociology at the university.
. He financially supported Robert Hope-Jones
in his development of the theatre organ
. In 1913, George Laing Miller, in The Recent Revolution in Organ Building wrote:
In 1913 he married Alice (Priscilla) Frost, a widow.
Parish Church.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
businessman and Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician. He also took a keen interest in the establishment of the scientific study of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and was an enthusiastic supporter of the development of the pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
.
White was born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and was the son of James Farquhar White and his wife Elizabeth. The family home was Castle Huntly
Castle Huntly
Castle Huntly sits approximately seven miles west of Dundee in the Carse of Gowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is situated close to the shore of the Firth of Tay and can be seen from the main road linking Dundee and Perth. The castle sits on top of a rocky outcrop surrounded by what is now...
, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
. In the 1870s they moved to a baronial castle at Balruddery, Forfarshire, near the city of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
.
Parliamentary career
By the 1890s White had become very wealthy, described variously as a flour or jute merchant.He first stood for Parliament at the 1892 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
, when he unsuccessfully contested St Andrews Burghs
St Andrews Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
St Andrews Burghs was a district of burghs constituency, representing various burghs of Fife, Scotland, in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1832 to 1918.-Area covered:...
. When the Liberal member of parliament for Forfarshire
Forfar (UK Parliament constituency)
Forfarshire was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of Great Britain of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1950....
, Sir John Rigby
John Rigby (politician)
Sir John Rigby PC , was a British judge and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1885 and 1894.-Background and education:...
was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal
Lord Justice of Appeal
A Lord Justice of Appeal is an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, and represents the second highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales-Appointment:...
in 1894, it was expected that White would be the party's candidate at the ensuing by-election
Forfarshire by-election, 1894
The Forfarshire by-election, 1894 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Forfarshire, Scotland on 17 November 1894...
. However, a London based stock-broker, Henry Robson was chosen, with the result that the seat was lost to the Liberal Unionists
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
.
A general election was held in the following year
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
, and on this occasion White was chosen to contest the seat. He regained the seat comfortably for the Liberals, with a majority of 441 votes.
His membership of the Commons was to be brief, however. Following weeks of rumours, the Dundee Advertiser reported on 14 November 1896 that he had resigned his seat. This was initially denied by his private secretary, who stated that he simply gone to India on business, and expected to return for the opening of parliament. However, on 20 November, the executive committee of the Forfarshire Liberal Association received an angry letter from White. In it, he stated that he had not intended to resign. However he felt the story had been inserted in the Advertiser by members of the committee, and this act of disloyalty meant that he no longer had any obligations to the party. Accordingly he resigned his seat, by accepting appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds.
White was subsequently chosen as prospective Liberal candidate for the Wilton Division of Wiltshire
Wilton (UK Parliament constituency)
Wilton was the name of a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1295 to 1707, then in the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and finally in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of the Parliament of the...
. However, when a by-election
Wilton by-election, 1900
The Wilton by-election, 1900 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Wilton in Wiltshire on 17 July 1900. The seat had become vacant when the Conservative Member of Parliament Viscount Folkestone had succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Radnor...
occurred in July 1900, the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
was in progress. The party decided not to contest the seat, allowing James Morrison
James Archibald Morrison
Major James Archibald Morrison DSO was a British Conservative Party politician.Morrison was the son of Alfred Morrison, of Fonthill Houseand the grandson of James Morrison ....
, an army officer, invalided from the front in South Africa, to be returned unopposed. At the general election in October 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, White did contest Wilton, but Morrison held the seat with a majority of 841 votes (12.6% of the total).
At the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, he failed to be elected at Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Yarmouth is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. He lodged an election petition
Election petition
An election petition refers to the procedure for challenging the result of a Parliamentary election or local government election in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong.- Outcomes :...
, attempting to have the result overturned due to alleged bribery, treating and illegal payments by his Conservative opponent Arthur Fell
Arthur Fell
Sir Arthur Fell was an English solicitor and Conservative Party politician. After a notorious legal case in 1906 where a biased judge dismissed an election petition against him, Fell sat in the House of Commons from 1906 to 1922 for Great Yarmouth...
. The election court found that treating and bribery had indeed taken place, but the two judges sitting on the case did not agree whether Fell was responsible for the actions of a Mr Baker who was found to have had acted illegally. The first judge, Justice Channell, held that Baker was acting as an agent of Fell; but the more senior judge, Justice Grantham
William Grantham
William Grantham was a British politician.-Biography:He was educated at King's College School, and was called to the bar in 1863....
, held that Fell was not responsible, and the petition was therefore dismissed. However, the outcome was widely denounced as perverse, and was one of a series of election petition judgments in which Grantham (himself a former Conservative MP) was seen to have acted in a partisan manner. The judgment in the Yarmouth petition was the subject of a debate in the Commons in July 1906 in which Grantham's partisanship was widely condemned.
Academic endowments
White developed a close friendship with Patrick GeddesPatrick Geddes
Sir Patrick Geddes was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and education....
, and endowed a chair of botany for him at University College Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
. Geddes was developing the field of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, and White began generously funding the teaching of the subject at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He eventually provided an endowment to create a Department of Sociology at the university.
Development of the pipe organ
White developed a love of the pipe organ, becoming an expert on the instrument, and president of the Organ ClubOrgan Club
The Organ Club is a Worldwide Society for Friends of the Pipe Organ and was founded in 1926. -History:The organ club was founded at its inaugural meeting on 2 December 1926 at St. John's Presbytarian Church, Marlborough Road, London. The lead to the first general meeting which was held in 22...
. He financially supported Robert Hope-Jones
Robert Hope-Jones
Robert Hope-Jones , is considered to be the inventor of the theatre organ in the early 20th century...
in his development of the theatre organ
Theatre organ
A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra. New designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself....
. In 1913, George Laing Miller, in The Recent Revolution in Organ Building wrote:
Mr White... has managed to devote much time and thought to the art of organ playing and organ building...All honor to Martin White!
Family life
White was married twice. In 1898 he married Mary MacRae, a watercolourist, and they had two children. Due to his infidelity the marriage broke down in 1906, and the couple were divorced in 1912. Mary MacRae White went on to be a successful artist in the United States.In 1913 he married Alice (Priscilla) Frost, a widow.
Death
J Martin White died suddenly at Balruddery in July 1928. He was buried locally, with a monument to his memory erected in LiffLiff
Liff or LIFF may refer to:*Liff, Angus, village in Scotland*The Meaning of Liff, a book by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd*Vincent Liff , American film director from West Hartford, ConnecticutLIFF as abbreviation:...
Parish Church.