Memorable Manitobans: William James White (1850-1940)

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William James White
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Born in Stouffville, Upper Canada [Ontario] in 1850, he apprenticed at his father’s newspaper. In 1881 he was persuaded by Thomas Greenway to start a newspaper in Brandon where he founded the Brandon Sun. He was lured to Ottawa by Clifford Sifton after 1895 and he worked for the federal department of immigration. After 1896, he helped to create the great advertising campaigns that attracted thousands of immigrants to the prairies. He retired to a farm at Lockwood, Saskatchewan where he died on 1 March 1940.

Sources:

“Founder of Brandon Sun is dead at 89 years of age,” Brandon Sun, 2 March 1940, page 2.

“W. J. White, Brandon Sun founder, dies,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 March 1940, page 16.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

We thank Matt Goerzen, Tom Mitchell, and Bill Waiser for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 13 June 2022

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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