Los Angeles County
Biographies
CHARLES HENRY WHITE
WHITE, CHARLES HENRY, Retired
Banker, Los Angeles, California, was born in Saratoga County, New York,
April 10, 1840, the son of James Madison White and Charlotte (Cole) White.
He married Agnes E. Hall at Glens Falls, New York, on January 2, 1867, and
to them there were born three children, Walter Everett (deceased), Gertrude Dorcas White (Mrs. George R. Field) and Julia Stella
White (Mrs. F. E. Culver), Mrs. White died in 1899.
Mr. White, who has attained an eminent position in
business affairs of the West, is essentially a self-made man and rose to his
present place solely by his own efforts. He attended the public schools of
Glens Falls, New York, and was a student at Glens Falls Academy of the same
place, but was compelled to give up his studies when he was twelve years of age
and aid in the support of the family. He began to earn his livelihood in the
store of Albert Hall of Glens Falls, whose daughter he married some years
later. Starting as a clerk he continued in the employ of Mr. Hall for twelve
years, and at the end of that period he and a partner purchased the store, and
conducted it for about seven years.
In 1872 Mr. White, who is now strong and active at the age
of 72, was adjudged by physicians to be hopelessly afflicted with tuberculosis,
and his tenure of life was considered to be only a matter of a few months. On
the advice of one physician, however, he went to Colorado in the hope of effecting a cure, and after a brief stay in Denver, went to
Colorado Springs, where he made his home for thirty years subsequently,
becoming during that time one of the strongest men of that section in
financial, real estate, mining and public affairs.
Associated with three other gentlemen, Mr. White in 1873
organized the El Paso County Bank of Colorado Springs, but he took no active
part in its affairs until 1876, when he was restored to health. At that time he
accepted a place on the Board of Directors and became active in the business.
This was the beginning of his new career, for upon leaving New York State he
had disposed of all his interests there, believing that he would be unable to
participate in business again. With his returning health, however, the energy
and determination characteristic of the man came back and for twenty years he
was one of the dominant factors in the affairs of the El Paso County Bank, and
the El Paso National Bank of Colorado, with which the El Paso County Bank was
merged in 1896, making this one of the strongest monetary institutions in the
State of Colorado. He was a Director and official of the latter institution for
several years.
In addition to his banking and real estate interests in
Colorado Springs, Mr. White also was one of the active mining men of the
West, being a successful operator in Leadville and Cripple Creek during and
after their historic booms. He still retains valuable properties in Cripple
Creek.
Although he had little taste for politics, Mr. White
was one of the prominent figures in public affairs of Colorado Springs and
served two terms as Town Trustee, as the Aldermen were known. He also served
two years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for the
Education of the Mute and Blind of Colorado.
In 1903 Mr. White went to Los Angeles with his youngest
daughter, who was in failing health, in order that she might have the benefit
of the climate, and he has made that city his home. It was his desire to retire
from active business at that time, but he gradually became interested in real
estate and other investments, and is compelled to devote time to them.
Mr. White took part in the organization, in 1911, of the
Klamath River Canning Co., engaged in the canning of salmon on the Klamath
River. The company was organized for the purpose of marketing a select product,
and Mr. White, as a member of the Board of Directors and Secretary and
Treasurer during the first year, was a factor in its success, and is today its
largest stockholder. He is a stockholder in various other enterprises.
During his entire career Mr. White has refrained, as far
as possible, from appearing in the public eye, and has never been a seeker for
public office, preferring to perform his duty to the State and his fellow men
through the development of the country’s resources. At all times strong for the
advancement of the public interest and a man of genial temperament,
Mr. White is regarded as one of the solid citizens of the West. He is Vice
President and Director, Sierra Madre Club, Los Angeles, and member, San Gabriel
Valley Country Club.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
30 August 2010.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 491, International
News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2010 Marie Hassard .
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPIES