Justin DuPratt White

White was born in Middletown, New York, on July 14, 1869, the third of four children born to Charles White, a merchant, and Elizabeth White.

In 1895, White graduated from Nyack High School, where he was among the first class of students to be awarded state diplomas. He was awarded a scholarship to Cornell University, where he was editor of The Cornell Daily Sun and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He attended Cornell Law School, where he graduated with an LL.B. in 1890, and was subsequently admitted to the New York State Bar in 1892.

Cornell University

On May 5, 1928, the Cornell University Board of Trustees elected White as a trustee to fill a vacancy, and he continued to serve until his death.

While on the board, White served on the Buildings and Grounds Committee, Law School Committee, and Medical School Committee. He was elected chairman of the board of trustees in 1939, but because of his untimely death, had the shortest tenure as chairman in the university's history.

In his will, which was 30 pages long, White stipulated that any funds from his multi-million dollar beyond the first eight beneficiaries go to Cornell University.