The Lost Poems of James Terry White

James Terry White was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on July 3, 1845 and died on April 3, 1920 in New York City, New York. Mr. White was an American poet and publisher. White owned his own publishing company and through the years had interests in many different fields.² In 1869, White founded a publishing company bearing his name, James T. White Co. in San Francisco, which was later moved to New York City. The firm published the first edition of The National Cyclopedia of American Biography in 1891. He served as vice president of the National Press Bureau. White was an organizer and vice president of the Hudnut Pharmacy in New York City. He founded the Character Development League in New York City, and in 1885, invented White's Physiological Manikin. He was also the president of the Yost Typewriting Company. As an author, he wrote the books Flowers from Arcadia, A Bouquet of California Flowers, Captive Memories, Christmas Greeting, and A Garden of Remembrance.² Upon the death of my mother-in-law, my wife inherited a significant collection of works by White. How the collection came to be in the possession of this family is a mystery. After contacting several businesses that specialize in antique written works, it seems that White's poetry is not well sought after. Several options were considered; procurement to a museum; sell at an auction; attempt to contact distant relatives. However with an author not well known, no museum would be interested; nor do the works have any meaningful monetary value. After some creative thinking, the conclusion was reached to self publish the collection, as the value of the literary work may be determined in the future.