Captain Samuel Albert White (20 December 1870 – 19 January 1954) was a wealthy Australian racehorse owner, soldier, explorer, conservationist and amateur ornithologist. He was born in Fulham, South Australia and eventually died there. He fought in the South African War 1900–1903, reaching the rank of captain, which title he continued to use throughout his life. He made several private ornithological collecting expeditions across remote areas of Australia, to Alice Springs (1913), Musgrave and Everard Ranges (1914), Cooper Creek (1916), Nullarbor Plain (1917-1918), Finke River (1921), and Adelaide to Darwin and return (1922), on behalf of Gregory Mathews.
White was a foundation member of the South Australian Ornithological Association (SAOA) in 1899, and served as its president for several periods between 1904 and 1944. He was also a foundation member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) in 1901, and served as its president 1914–1916.
The White family were among the earliest settlers in South Australia. John White (died 30 December 1860) arrived in November 1836 aboard the Tam O'Shanter. Within months of arrival he purchased land which now lies in the suburb of Fulham,[1] naming it Fulham Farm after the suburb of Fulham in his native London.[2] The White family home, Weetunga, built by his son, Samuel White (15 June 1835 – 16 November 1880),[1] father of Samuel Albert White, remained with the family until being placed on the market in 2014.[3]
White's father, Samuel White, was also an enthusiastic ornithologist, venturing on three ambitious and disastrous expeditions. He kept extensive diaries, but except for some notes his research was largely unpublished. The collections he made were mostly lost en route. He died shortly after returning to Sydney to replace a crew that had mutinied on his third expedition.[4]
As well as numerous papers in ornithological journals, works he authored include:
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