Benjamin Morton "Ben" White
Marriages
Lillian May Billings White - July 5, 1904
in Salt Lake City, Utah; she passed away.
DeVere Dozier White - April 1925
in Canon City, Colorado.
Burial Details
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 1 - October 8, 1948
BEN WHITE PASSED AWAY MONDAY. News of the passing of Ben M. WHITE at Canon City was received here early Tuesday morning with regret. Mr. WHITE, for a long time resident of the Eagle community, died Monday night in St. Thomas Moore hospital in Canon City, where he had been a patient for the past several months. Mr. and Mrs. WHITE had moved to Canon City a year ago, when they sold the White ranch on Brush creek to Martin EICHLER because of Mr. WHITE's failing health.
For the past four years he had been ill, and since going to Canon City has been confined either to his new home there or to the hospital. Funeral services were held there yesterday, and burial was in Canon City. With the passing of Ben, the county has lost a member of one of the really early families of Eagle.
His father was one of the very first white men to settle in the Brush creek valley, and Ben retained a part of the original WHITE property for his home until a few months ago when he moved from here because of his health.
Ben was a leader not only in his home community in livestock, political and social circles but in the state, also. Until four years ago, he served his county Democratic party in official capacity on the committee or was standing back of it to do everything in his power to make it a lively organization, and was well known out over the state in political circles. There are but very few people in this county who did not know him, or know who he was.
Surviving Ben are his widow, DeVere WHITE; a son, Morton, of Gunnison; his brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Hume S. WHITE of Eagle. A nephew, George G. WHITE also of Eagle, and two grandsons, Jimmy and Benny of Eagle, and his daughter, Emma White WASS, of Eastport, Maine, and son and daughter.
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 1 - October 15, 1948
OBITUARY OF BEN M. WHITE. Benjamin Morton WHITE was born in Georgetown, Colo., Sept. 29, 1878, a son of George Griffith WHITE and Sarah Morton WHITE. He spent his early youth on the old Morton homestead in Platt county, Mo., and later attended school in Leadville and high school in Colorado Springs, after which he attended Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
After finishing school, he was in the clothing business with Richardson and Adams in Salt Lake City where he married Lillian May Billings, July 5, 1904, and two children were born, Morton Billings WHITE, and Emma Perry WHITE.
Ben WHITE and his family moved to Eagle in 1906 after his mother passed away October 26, 1905, where he remained on the White ranch on Brush creek until October, 1947, when he sold all of his holdings in Eagle county and moved to Canon City.
His father and mother moved to Colorado from Plat county, Missouri, in the early '70s and settled in Golden, Colorado, where his father was elected a member of the Constitutional convention of Colorado, representing Jefferson county. They later moved to Georgetown then to Leadville. George G. WHITE homesteaded 160 acres on Brush creek and his mother preempted 160 acres adjoining. They later purchased the holdings of Harry HERNAGE in the latter '70s and the early '80s. These were among the first ranches patented in Eagle county by the U. S. government.
His father passed away in January, 1884, at Leadville, Colo., where he practiced law, having in his office at the time of his death John A. EWING who later became one of the prominent lawyers of the state of Colorado.
Ben passed away in Canon City October 4, 1948, and was buried there Oct. 7, 1948, leaving surviving him his wife, DeVere Dozier White; a son, Morton B. WHITE; a daughter, Emma P. WASS of East Port, Maine; five grandchildren--Benjamin R. WHITE, James M. WHITE, Gerald WASS, Julie Ann WASS, Linda May WHITE and a brother, Hume S. WHITE.
Who's Who in Colorado, 1938 page 435-436
Alice T. Bacon, "Eagle County," p. 427-436:
WHITE, BENJAMIN MORTON: Rancher: b Georgetown, Colo, Sept 29, 1879; ed pub sch Leadville & Colo Springs, Notre Dame Prep, Notre Dame Univ; m Lillian May Billings (dec), July 1904 Salt Lake City; m DeVere Dozier, Apr 1925 Canon City; s Morton B; d Mrs Emma P Wass; 1892-1893 asst elec Citizens Elec Light Co, Leadville; 1896 May Clothing Co, Colo Springs; 1900-1912 mgr, Richardson & Adams Clothing Co, Salt Lake City; 1912 to date ranching, stock raising, Eagle; former dir, First Natl Bk, Eagle Co for 16 yrs; former Dem Co chmn; served on special stockgrowers comm to Wash, arrange federal livestock loans; 1919 mbr of comm in Federal Packers investigation; Eagle Co chmn in Liberty Bond drives during World War, chmn Eagle Co council of Defence; former Colo Vive-Pres PPOO Highway Assn, leader in genl real development, Eagle Co; Colo Stockgrowers Assn (past pres), Western Slope Stockgrowers Assn (past pres), AF&AM Castle Lodge No 122 (past master), Eagle Co Livestock Growers Assn (past pres for 10 yrs), Eagle Co Potato Growers Assn (past vice pres & trustee), Consistory No 1, Royal Arch, KT, El Jebel Shrine, 32nd degree, Lions, C of C, Episc; Dem; hobby, hunting; res, Eagle.
