James Springer White
James Springer White (
August 4,
1821,
Palmyra, Maine -
August 6 1881,
Battle Creek, Michigan), also known as
Elder White was a co-founder of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church and husband of
Ellen G. White. White's contributions to the denomination were rather notable, in 1849 he started the first Sabbatarian Adventist periodical entitled the "
Present Truth," in 1855 he relocated the fledgling center of the movement to
Battle Creek,
Michigan, and in 1863 played a pivotal role in the formal organization of the denomination. He later played a pivotal role in the development of the Adventist educational structure beginning in 1874 with the formation of Battle Creek College (which is now
Andrews University).
James White was born on
August 4, 1821 in the township of Palmyra in Maine. The fifth of nine children, James was a sickly child who suffered fits or seizures. Poor eyesight prevented him from obtaining much of an education and he was forced to work on the family farm. At age 19 his eyesight improved and he enrolled in a local academy. He earned a teaching certificate and briefly taught at an elementary school. He was baptized into the
Christian Connexion at age 16. He learned of the Millerite message from his parents and after hearing powerful preaching at an advent camp meeting in Exeter, Maine, White decided to leave teaching and become a preacher. Consequently, he was ordained a minister of the Christian Connexion in 1843. White was a powerful preacher and it is recorded that during the winter of 1843, 1000 people accepted the Millerite message due to his preaching. At times however, White was met with angry mobs who hurled
snowballs at him.
During these early travels he met Ellen G. Harmon whom he married on
August 30,
1846. James and Ellen had four boys, Henry Nichols (b. 26 Aug 1847, d. 8 Dec 1863), James Edson (b. 28 Jul 1849, d. 3 Jun 1928), William Clarence (b. 29 Aug 1854, d. 31 Aug 1937) and John Herbert (b. 20 Sep 1860, d. 14 Dec 1860).
The paper which James White initially started "Present Truth" was combined with another periodical called the "Advent Review" in 1850 to become the "Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald." This periodical became the main source of communication for the Sabbatarian Adventist movement as they debated points of doctrine and organization. It also became a venue for James and Ellen White to quickly and efficiently share their views to like-minded believers. James White served as editor of the periodical until 1851 when he invited
Uriah Smith to become editor. He played a senior role in the management of church publications as president of the Review and Herald Publishing Association. He also served on several occasions as president of the
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.(1865-67; 1869-71; 1874-80).
White firmly opposed the
trinity doctrine. In 1846, White wrote in
The Day Star[James White, January 24, 1846, The Day Star], and on a number of occasions in the
Review & Herald (1852
[James White, August 5, 1852, Review & Herald, vol. 3, no. 7, page 52, par. 42], 1854
[James White, September 12, 1854, Review & Herald, vol. 6, no. 5, page 36, par. 8], 1855
[James White, December 11, 1855, Review & Herald, vol. 7, no. 11, page 85, par. 16], 1856
[James White, February 7, 1856, Review & Herald, vol. 7, no. 19, page 148, par. 26], 1877
[James White, November 29, 1877, Review & Herald] & 1881
[James White, January 4, 1881, Review & Herald] that the trinity was 'unscriptural'
. This teaching was common among the early Adventists, including
Joshua Himes,
Joseph Bates,
Uriah Smith,
J. N. Loughborough and
J. H. Waggoner.
In 1865 White suffered from a paralytic stroke. White eventually determined that he should retire from the ministry and live out his days gracefully. In 1880,
G. I. Butler replaced him as General Conference president. During the summer of 1881, White came down with a fever and was taken to the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Despite the efforts of Dr Kellogg, White passed away on
1881-08-06.
*
Biography on www.whiteestate.org*
Marriage to Ellen G. White*
Life Incidents at Making of America*
Adventist Archives Contains many articles written by James White
