University of Virginia - Corks and Curls Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

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. v 'vw;-v'g f5 3E racial characteristic. Peeuliarities we have; distinctive qualities, perhaps; but it is rather from a combination of these than from any one of them, that a concep- tion of the American is derived. The conception is not clear; it connotes much, but denotes no single thing; and yet most of us, while we cannot define, can still describe what we mean when we speak of the Spirit of America; And it is as an incarnation of that spirit that we shall View our subject. A chronicle of a life so full of affairs would be impossible within reasonable limits; we set down only the salient facts. ' Born in 1847 in Norfolk County, Virginia, son of Dr. William White and Hen- rietta Kemp tTurneQ W hite, William H. White spent his boyhood on a farm in that county. His education was interrupted by the Civil War, and after attend- ing several institutions, he found himself in 111863 at the Virginia Military In- stitute. He came of hghting stock; his father served throughout the Civil War, being Colonel of the 14th Virginia Regiment, and his grandfather had fought in the War of 1812; and while at the Institute he participated in the Newmarket fight, that glorious Victory of beardless boys over trained veterans. $fter the war he took a law course at the University of Virginia, and came to the bar in 1868. The next year he became Commonwealth's Attorney for Norfolk County; and in 1871, having removed to Norfolk City, was elected Commonwealth's At- torney there. An active practice, which became one of the- largest and most im- portant in Norfolk, ensued. In 1896 he was appointed by Mr. ClevelandlUnited States District Attorney, and, though a Democrat, continued in that office, at Mr. McKinleyis request, until well into the lattei's administration. In the latter part of 1906, a somewhat acrimonious dispute having arisen between the State of Virginia, as part owner, and the railroads which controlled the Richmond, Fred- erieksburg 8x Potomac and Washington Southern Railroads, Mr. White was se- lected as a candidate for the presidency ofthose companies acceptable to all the interests concerned. He still holds that office. 8He had had the advantage of nee, having served on boards of directors of numerous eor- large business experie and the experience thus porations, in addition to his legal representation of them; gained was of inestimable value. - Mr. XVhite has been on the Boards of Visitors of his two alnzac matres, the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia, and has been partieti- larly active on the latter. being one of those who urged the creation of the presi- deney and the election of Dr. Alderman, Such is the bare record. XVhat are some of the lessons it teaches, the Charac- teristics it reveals? Mr. Bryce, with his extraordinary divniation of the American character, re- marks in his HAmerican Connnonwealth that in America a smart man tusmg lsmartf of course. in no invidious sensel is expected to do anything that he turns his hand to. This versatility is one of the most notable possessions of Mr. VVhlte. As a lawver, he had no 8speeialtyp He prosecuted criminal cases and defended 4 - Y ' es xq MT .H wi V . i .i htNi

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. W'W'V .V': v r . o T'Ww 41'0717'4-1! w- E E; E k . E .. v 1 14 .: 'erer . x .- ..- William Henry White-American life that is still in the making, to estimate the sum of its achievements before those achievements are done, to Visualize its scope before there can be had a sufficient perspective of its more or less co-ordinated activities. A11 ig- norant treatment of such a subject would be an impertinence; an unsympathetic view, an offe11ce;a critical consideIation, manifestly absurd. And eulogies have gone out of fashion. IT is a difficult thing, almost an impossible one, adequately to tell the story of a WMW :7 But it may happen that 1 I concrete certain abstractions which may thereby be made more real for us, and corre- spondingly more helpful. Mental attitudes, tendencies of the times, national charac- teristics-efor each of these there may be, in the daily life about us, its separate embodi- ment. We look for manifestations of the artistic temperament beneath the- sunny skies of Italy; we are accustomed to think of Teutonic sturdiness and thoroughness; we associ- ate with the great republic of Western Europe a notable keenness and precision Of in- tellectual processes; and in the Mother Country we hnd a 114.311.15.141 magnihcently intelligent con- servatismi capable of witheta11ding the storm and shock of a social unrest that would have wrecked any foundation less stable. We attribute to each of these nations some distinguishing national characteristic which, while not exclusive of others, yet springs unbidden to the mind at the mere mention of their names. - How different the case with America! It is the Great Composite. The one great nation with no- distinctive ethnic history, and, therefore, no distinctive 3 such a life exhibits in the Ma. S V 1 1'! -1 1-,1 a' ; . 7,314.3 'th; . 1

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372V :13 3332653,;- - r ???ZETE AND CU RLS gig them; will cases, cases of commercial law, corporation organization and repre- sentationaall were familiar to him. thee practiced came to him in abundance; moreiaeeeptable to his especial genius was the art and practice of advocacy. In business, an adequate and self-eonstrueted fortune bears witness to his sagaeity. The translation from the deliberate and argunientive functions of the lawyer to the executive duties of a railway president was accomplished with no sense of shock, no Hlost motion.U And all the while he was and is busying himself with civic concerns, rendering on educational boards of the first importance a ser- vice peculiarly demanding a broad conception of public needs, a nice apprecia- tion of men and methods, and an instant perception of policies and the psycho- logical moment for their adoption. Essentially a ninan of the world, he lias brought to successive tasks the motive power of industry and the guiding force of common sense; and he has realized the expectations alluded to by Mr. Bryce. He is a ready man-whis great experience in speaking having doubtless, ac- cording to the Baconian aphorism, contributed to this end. When he was trying a case on one occasion, opposing counsel, with a ponderous attempt at sarcasm, exclaimed: Of course Mr. White knows more law than I do? HAdmittedf'l was the instantaneous rejoinder, and sarcasm was at a discount for the rest of the trial. In his exceptional intellectual endomnent, Mr. White is practical rather than speculative, intuitive rather than deductive, more bold tlianpatient, always quick, alert, and keen. 3y no effort or accident could he be dull. A trait upon which he humorously asserts a great measure of reliance isian intuitive faculty which is simply an effortless effervescence of common sense. As a speaker, he is facile, Vigorous, direct, and essentially effective. He is a restless man. Upon his return from a vacation, he was telling a friend of his delight, when utterly spent and weary, in finding in the Mohawk Valley :1 sequestered inn, with lavendered sheets and Howered wall-paper and dimity eur- tains, with food of the simplest and the atmosphere of Arcady about it' all. He described the blessed certainty of the knowledge that here he could find rest and build up his overtaxed' system. liHow long did you stay at that inn, White ?li in- quired the friend. ltW'hyfi came the somewhat embarrassed reply, NI found out there was an early train the next day, so I got up at 6 o'clock and took it? He is an industrious man. Inactivity to him spells disintegration ; and not one of his friends but knows that the one impossible thing to. him would be the cese sation of his activities. Indeed, the propelling force of an extraordinary nervous energy leads to an expenditure of vigor that would be cause for concern save for the certainty that the result of a contrary mode of life would be still more harmful. , His personality is no less engaging because pronounced. Country born, his plastic years passed in a period of national disorganization and demoralization, when the fierce struggle for fundamentals could leave but little room for' the a J