Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, edited by James
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WHITE, Alexander, merchant, born in Elgin, Scotland, 13 March, 1814; died in Lake Forest, Illinois, 18 March, 1872. He was one of the early settlers of Chicago, where he arrived in the spring of 1837. Until 1857 he was a merchant, being the first dealer in Chicago in fine-art goods. From 1857 till 1867 he was engaged in real estate investments, establishing the great auction sales that have played an important part in the city's development. Retiring from business in 1867 to devote himself to the collection of flowers and paintings, he purchased an estate at Lake Forest, which he made among the most artistic in the west. In 1859 he built in his Chicago residence the first private art-gallery in Illinois, exhibiting his paintings for the benefit of the city. In 1866 he sold this collection at auction, and in 1869 he opened a gallery at his residence at Lake Forest with 160 works of art. Returning from Europe with a third collection when the great fire of 1871 occurred, his losses induced him to sell his treasures at auction the same year in New York city. His artistic taste found further expression in the cultivation of flowers, especially of camelias and orchids, his collection being recognized as the most complete in the northwest.
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