Background
White was born in Bristol, England.
White was born in Bristol, England.
From approximately 1853 to 160 he worked the Bendigo goldfields. He was acting Victorian Government Astronomer 1875-1876 and an assistant to Robert L. J. Ellery at the Melbourne Observatory 1860 to 1892. White was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Victoria (president 1902) and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.
He had impressive golf achievements in the early to mid-1930s, winning several significant titles, and represented the United States, but never turned professional at golf, since the prize money was low at that time. He won three consecutive Southwest Conference individual titles in golf, from 1933 to 1935. He was the first University of Texas player to win this event. He won the Mexican Amateur Championship in 1935. He represented the United States in the 1936 Walker Cup at the Pine Valley Golf Club, winning all of his matches, and helping his team win the event. Fred Haas, who later won the Canadian Amateur Championship and five events on the PGA Tour, said that White was the best player he ever saw.
