| Administrative History | John Forbes White was born in Aberdeen in 1831 into a Whig family. He was educated at the Grammar School and in 1844 matriculated at Marischal College, whence he graduated MA in 1848. His father, William White, was a grain merchant and flour miller in Aberdeen, and John followed him into the family business at Kettock's Mill, near Balgownie Road in Aberdeen. He was living in Dundee by 1897, though he retained a keen interest in Aberdeen and was on the University Court from 1880 to 1888. He was awarded an honorary LL.D. by the university in 1886. He was an art critic, a patron of fine arts, and early photographer: he toured Greece in 1894, and his equally artistic sister was the wife of Principal Geddes of Aberdeen University. He retained an interest in politics and was the leader of the Liberal Unionist group in Aberdeen in the 1880s. He died 14 October 1904. |