James White

White, James

James White, geographer (b at Ingersoll, Ont 3 Feb 1863; d at Ottawa 26 Feb 1928). He was educated at RMC and in 1884 he was employed as an assistant topographer in the GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, where he carried out numerous surveys in Ontario, Québec and the Rocky Mts. He was appointed geographer and chief draftsman in 1894 and in 1899 became geographer and then chief geographer at the Dept of the Interior. White's contributions to Canadian geography over the next decade are truly remarkable. He expanded the staff, which allowed him to produce better general reference maps, and was responsible for the production of the first edition of the Atlas of Canada (1906). This was the second national atlas to be produced in the world. Other important publications included Altitudes in Canada (1901) and Dictionary of Altitudes in Canada (1903). In 1909 he resigned his position as chief geographer to become the secretary of the COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION, and in 1913 chairman and deputy head. In 1921 White became technical adviser to the minister of justice, and in this capacity he was responsible for the preparation of maps and other evidence in the LABRADOR BOUNDARY DISPUTE, which was brought before the Privy Council in London in 1926. White was a long-standing member and chairman (1927) of the Geographic Board of Canada. He also chaired the Advisory Board of Wild Life Protection (Canada) from its inception in 1917 and played an important part in the adoption by Canada and the US of the Migratory Birds Convention.