WHITE, John Clayton (1835-1907), an exceptionally talented artist, draftsman and delineator, was born in England on 25 November 1835 and likely received his education and training there. He joined the Royal Engineers and was posted to the colony of British Columbia in 1858 where he was one of a group of officers who established a barracks headquarters at Sapperton, just east of New Westminster. It was there he prepared plans and supervised construction of some of the first architect-designed structures in the colony, including Government House, the Anglican church, a jail, the Customs House, a hospital and a school. After the departure of the contingent in 1863 White chose to remain on the Lower Mainland and continued to work as architect and draftsman (British Columbian [New Westminster], 7 Nov. 1863, 2, advert.). He was employed by the Collins Overland Telegraph Co. as an artist and surveyor and in 1866 he moved to Victoria to work a draftsman for the Land & Works Dept. It was there that he met John Wright, who may have been inflluential in persuading White to move to San Francisco where he was recorded in city directories as a draftsman with the firm of Wright & Sanders (in 1868-69). He worked under his own name there in 1870-71, then as a draftsman for the California Pacific Railroad in 1873-74 and in 1882-85. He collaborated with J.P. Gaynor, an architect in Oakland, in 1875-76, and after 1900 was employed in the City Engineer's office and for the Board of State Harbour Commissioners. The California Historical Society holds a set of undated drawings and specifications prepared by White for a residence at Fair Oaks, Calif. for Edward L. Eyre (CHS, MS 672, Eyre Papers). White died in Berkeley, Calif. on 7 June 1907 (death notice San Francisco Examiner, 9 June 1907, 40; biog. M. Segger & D. Franklin, Victoria, 1979, 351-2; D. Luxton, Building the West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 33-4, 516)
NEW WESTMINSTER
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, originally erected for Col. Richard C. Moody in 1860 and converted to a residence for Governor Frederick Seymour in 1864 with a major addition and new tower (P. Cotton, Vice-Regal Mansions, 1981, 22, 24, 34-5, illus.; dwgs. BCPA)
HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH, 1860; with addition of reredos and organ screen, 1864 (New Westminster Times, 8 Dec. 1860, descrip.; British Columbian [New Westminster], 2 April 1864, 3; Barry V. Downs, 'The Royal Engineers in British Columbia', in Canadian Collector, xi, May/June 1975, 42-6, illus.)
MUSEUM FOR BRITISH COLUMBIAN PRODUCE, Columbia Street near Sixth Street, 1861 (dwgs.at BCPA, Victoria, Acc. CM-A1950; D. Luxton, Building the West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 34, illus.)
HYACK FIRE CO. ENGINE HOUSE, Columbia Street, 1862 (D. Luxton, Building the West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 34)
SAPPERTON, north east side, a residence for J.T. Scott, 1864 (British Columbian [New Westminster], 14 May 1864, 3, descrip.)
DOUGLAS STREET, a two storey residence for George Hooper, 1864 (British Columbian [New Westminster], 8 June 1864, 2, t.c.)
SAPPERTON, St. Mary's Anglican Church, 1864-65; burned 1933; rebuilt (British Columbian [New Westminster], 15 Oct. 1864, 2, t.c.; J.D. Scott, Once in the Royal City: The Heritage of New Westminster, 1985, 25, illus.)
SAPPERTON, New Westminster Public School, Royal Avenue at Sixth Street, 1865 (British Columbian [New Westminster], 10 June 1865, 3; and 26 Aug. 1865, 3, descrip.)