The Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 191?-19??, 1919-10-22
KNIGHT IN 1903
IS NOW PAUPER
PilifuI Ending Of Career Of SiT
Luke White, Once Member
Of Parliament.
BANKRUPT and A WRECK
e1me Of He Poor Constituents Less
Their All by Intrusting II to Him
War Makes Financial
Distress Known.


LOndon--From a position Of afflu-
ence, popularity and pubic service
which won him a seat in parliament
land ek knighthood, Sir Luke White Is
:endiHiy his days as the inmate Of a
Iworkhouse infrmary in Driffield. Clev-
Ter enough to rise from poverty to q
noted career, injudIcious investments
brought him low, and at the height of
his political power he was forced to
confess himself bankrupt. He carried
down with him numerous trusting con-
stituents, and his liabilities of $780,
1000 included $4,000 in loans from
poor people who had confded their all
Ito him. The shame of having thus
wrecked the savings of those who be
llieved ain him completely unnerved
him. Now he is dependent on public
charity, his spirit utterly crushed, and
Inc is one of the most pitiful figures in
the north of England.
Began as Office Boy
Born in Deighton, near York, in
1885, he was en- Office boy at fifteen
for solicitor, who paid him about 80
cents week. After eight years in
that service, of course with increasing
income, he became managing clerk for
another solicitor in Driffield. In an
other six years he was admitted to
the bar as solicitor, and in the same
year he succeeded to the practice of |
his employer, who had died.
He speedily became known as |
local preacher and speaker for large !
district, and he was highly popular
and successful. For years he was
chairman of the local board, and then |
of the urban district council. Then he |
went to the East Riding county coun-
ell. In 1895 he was appointed one of |
the coroners for East Riding. He act
ed as election agent for Sir Angus |
Holden, Liberal member of parlia-i
ment for the Buckrose division, and
when Sir Angus died in 1900 White
was chosen as his successor. In 1908
he was knighted.
He continued to divide his time be-
tween his attendance at Westminster
and his business in Yorkshire, but as
he gave more time to his parliament
airy duties than to his private affairs,
his practice suffered. The war brought |
out the fact that he was in financial
tltslress, and last fall he resigned his
seat and filed petition in bankruptcy.
1t appeared In the bankruptcy pro-
ceedlngs that some Of his poor con-
stituents had confided their money to
him to put into war loans.
Popular For Years.
Friends provided for him for
awhile in a sanitarium near Scar
borough. When that fund was ex-
hsusted he was removed to the work.
house infirmary, which almost ad1oins
the court In which he formerly pr0c-
tised. His tragic misfortune caused a
greatS sensation in East Yorkshire;
wheEQ for years he had been so 0eD
known known aud liked liked that IL the town of
BridlingtOn particularly his photo
graph hung or tbs walls OF every
other house. He had been eminently 4
Door mans lawyer.
His fate is now brought afresh to
public notice by an action against
Herbert Brown, deputy coroner for
the East Riding Of Yorkshire, who Ia
charged, jointly with Sir Luke, with
having appropriated to the personal
use Of Sir Luke in 1907 $1,000 intrust
ed to them by Witham Hatfield for in
vestment. Sir Luke escapes arraignv
ment owing to his physical and ner-
vOus collapse.