Wednesday, September 25, 2019

John G. White

     John Griswold White (August 10, 1845 – August 27, 1928) was a prominent Cleveland, Ohio attorney, a chess connoisseur, and a bibliophile. 
     White was born in Cleveland (his parents were originally from Massachusetts) and his birthplace was located on what was then Lake Street (probably today’s Lakeside Avenue), near the present-day City Hall. 
     White was born near-sighted but was not diagnosed until he was a teenager. Although fitted with glasses eventually, White usually read without them, preferring (according to his contemporaries) to hold the books close to his face.
     His parents valued education and White received early education in Little Red School House of Northford, Connecticut, at Home, and Canandaigua Academy. According to his long-time friend, it was in Connecticut that White gained his ability to read fast, where books and money were scarce. White made a friend in the nearby town with the bookseller, who allowed him to read any book while his mother did her weekly shopping. 
     Further education took place in Cleveland and Western Reserve College in Hudson, Ohio, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was class salutatorian at his 1865 graduation; his speech was delivered in Latin. White played chess in college and he and one of his professors played every Wednesday evening, often into the early hours of the morning. 
     After graduation, he studied law under his father. In 1868, White was admitted to the Ohio Bar and in 1903, he was admitted to the Court of Appeals and to the Supreme Court in 1910, receiving the degree of Doctor of Laws from Western Reserve in 1919. White also was the attorney for the Catholic Diocese of Northern Ohio under three bishops, though White himself was not Catholic.
     White practiced law in 1870, partnering with Robert E. Mix and Judge Conway W. Noble. The law firm had various names due to partners either dying, retiring, or through consolidation. The law firm remains in existence today.
     White was elected to the Cleveland Public Library's Board of Directors in 1884 and served as Library Board President from 1910 until his death in 1928. In 1884, Cleveland Public Library was thought to be mismanaged and White began a survey to discover how other libraries were being managed and it was White who instituted numerous changes as well as establishing one of the earliest staff annuity plans for public employees. 
     When taking walks, White and his father would engage in intellectual activities such as only speaking Latin one day, Greek another, and having a "Chess Day" where they would play blindfold games. 
     White loved romantic novels and stories of the Wild West, in which reading was his primary relaxation. His house on 1871 East 89th Street was filled with novels and hundreds of books on chess. Today that address is a parking lot next to the University Church of Christ. 
     White wore a beard long after it became unfashionable. He never owned an automobile, and often rode streetcars between his home and his office downtown. He was a life-long bachelor. White began donating books to the Cleveland Public Library in 1885. 
     His fascination with chess was lifelong, from the walks with his father to his collecting chess-related books, information, and materials. Over a period of some fifty years he conducted a determined quest, throughout the world, for desirable additions to his library. 
     After White left the Library Board in 1886, the library began purchasing cheaper, popular books, which prompted him to donate scholarly books to the library. His donations also included books on folklore and Orientalia. White's goal was to collect everything published on chess as well as chess manuscripts and any other texts that mentioned or were related to chess. 
     At the time of White's death in 1928, the collection numbered 60,000 volumes. The library has since split the collection into three sections: chess, folklore and Orientalia including materials on Asia, the Near and Middle East, Africa, Australia and Oceania. 
     White left Cleveland for a fishing trip at his favorite mountain resort in Jackson Lake, Wyoming with his friend and former law associate and four weeks into his vacation, he passed away from pneumonia.  I was unable to turn up any of White’s games except the following one which he won against Orestes Augustus Brownson.
     Brownson was a problemist and published The Dubuque Chess Journal, a widely respected publication that was published in the offices of the Dubuque Herald from August, 1870 until it was sold in 1876. At the time The Journal was one of two internationally which was exclusively dedicated to chess. After the publication was sold, it was  published in Hannibal, Missouri until June, 1892.
     The Journal had 160 issues and was well known by problem composers and players around the world.  It contained short stories with chess themes, chess poetry, news from chess clubs in the United States, Europe and Australia and obituaries of prominent players.
     This game appeared in the January-August 1873 edition. In most games published in the magazine Brownson gave only the city in which they were played (e.g. Chess in New Orleans, Louisiana, Chess in New York City, etc.), but in his game against John G. White he gave no city, so it was most likely a postal game. As you will see, White was quite a strong player!  





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