The Life and Legacy of John G. White

Portrait

February 28, 2019, through February 28, 2020
Main Library, Special Collections, 3rd Floor

John Griswold White was a man of many dimensions – a born Clevelander, a lawyer, an outdoorsman, a voracious reader, and devoted trustee.

He was a child of Cleveland, born on Lakeside Avenue in what is now downtown Cleveland. His pursuit of law established him as the unofficial “Dean” of the legal profession in Cleveland. He was a lover of books who amassed the largest chess collection in the world and donated enough books to the Library to create its own department. He was an avid outdoorsman drawn to the simplicities of a “life away from letters”. Most importantly, he was the greatest Trustee in Cleveland Public Library history. He, with the help of William Howard Brett and Linda Eastman, created what is today one of the great public research collections in the world.

This exhibit explores the many roles John G. White played in his life. The collection he started is on view in the John G. White Exhibit Corridor.