Charles William "Max" White: Auburn's Forgotten Literary Son - Part I

Who Was Charles William "Max" White?

Points in time are always receding into history, some remembered well and others soon forgotten. The same might be said for writers. Some authors writing in the first half of the 20th Century earned enduring fame and some faded away. Charles William White, a native of Auburn, Cayuga Co., New York writing under the pen name "Max White," seems to have ended up in the latter category despite having a handful of his novels published by major houses.

Parents and Family

Charles William White was born on 6 June 1906 in Auburn, the son of William J. White and Nellie A. Post White, both of whom originally hailed from the Town of Fleming, Cayuga Co., New York. Charles had an older brother, Ray Theodore White, but no other siblings. At that time, Auburn was a thriving industrial city. Charles's father worked as a Foreman for D. M. Osborne & Company, a manufacturer of farm implements, which became part of the International Harvester Company in 1903. Charles's mother was a housewife. The family lived first at 20 Beach Avenue and subsequently at 89 Nelson Street before settling permanently at 139 East Genesee Street in Auburn by 1915.

Grade and High School Years

Charles appears to have attended the Evans Street School following his family's move to East Genesee Street. This school was less than a block from his house. Charles and Worden Gilboy sang two duets during an entertainment program presented to members of the Evans Street School Parent-Teachers' Association in May 1916. This early musical ability must have been followed by piano lessons for the lad because he gave a well-received piano solo at a Second Baptist Church reception in May 1920. During Charles's senior year at Auburn High School, he was a member of the Chorus for the Senior Playlet and appeared in a Nativity tableau during Christmas exercises. His piano lessons apparently had continued through his high school years because in March 1925 he performed at a Piano Recital presented by students of Miss Alice M. Jones during which he played Chopin's "Prelude, Opus 28, No. 5" and Sibelius's "Romance."

Little other information about the teen years of Charles William White appears in the papers of the day. He is mentioned in relation to the annual Boy Scout fund-raising campaign of 1921 as one of the Scouts who appeared in uniform at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce before receiving special letters to hand-deliver later in the day to start the campaign. Charles graduated from Auburn High School in the "General" curriculum ca. 25 June 1925. This curriculum may not have provided adequate preparation for college entrance because the School Board re-admitted Charles in September of that year to do post-graduate college preparatory work. He was again listed as a graduate of Auburn High School in 1926, apparently having successfully completed his courses.

College Years

Charles was admitted to Middlebury College at Middlebury, Addison Co., Vermont in the fall of 1926. He completed two years of study as a Freshman and Sophomore in the Class of 1930 at Middlebury. Charles then traveled to Paris, France, presumably during late summer 1928, to begin a year's study at the Sorbonne. He arrived back in the United States in July 1929 after having sailed from Cherbourg, France aboard the Aquitania. Charles soon returned to France for another year's study, this time at the University of Nancy at Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine, France where he received a Diploma in 1930. He again returned to Auburn in September 1930, having sailed from Le Havre, France aboard the Lancastria.

Charles William White, Newspaper Editor

Rudolph W. Chamberlain, Editor of The Auburn Advertiser-Journal, was given a year's leave from the newspaper in November 1930 to write a biography of Thomas Mott Osborne, who had been a prominent Auburnian. At this time, Mr. Chamberlain passed day-to-day editorial responsibilities at The Advertiser-Journal to Charles William White who then became the paper's Editorial Writer and Associate Editor. Charles's newspaper career probably didn't last beyond June 1931, however, because at that time The Auburn Advertiser-Journal and The Auburn Citizen were merged to become The Citizen-Advertiser, most likely rendering his Associate Editorship redundant.

Charles spent 6 weeks in Washington, DC between about the middle of August and the end of September 1931. A newspaper item documents the trip but fails to reveal its purpose. It may be presumed that Charles faced some difficulty finding employment in the depths of the Great Depression. He drops out of sight in Auburn after his Washington trip only to re-emerge at New York City when he returned from Cherbourg, France, again aboard the Aquitania, at the end of June 1933. Charles is known to have traveled in France and Spain during this interval. The duration of his travels and how he made his living during this time remains a mystery.

To Be Continued