Guide
to
MS 112
Owen Payne White Papers
Dates, 1923-1951
3 feet, 3 inches (linear)
Processed October 2000
Donated by Mrs. Owen P. White, 1967
Citation: Owen P. White Papers,1923-1951, MS 112, C. L. Sonnichsen Special Collections
Department.The University of Texas at El Paso Library.
C. L. Sonnichsen Special Collections Department
University of Texas at El Paso
Biography
Owen Payne White, writer and editor, was born in El Paso on June 9, 1879. He was the second son of Alward and Katherine J. (Payne) White. He graduated from El Paso High School in May 27,1896. In 1896, he attended the University of Texas at Austin, but returned to El Paso after only a few months. White also studied Law at New York University, but never graduated. He served in World War I as a sergeant in a medical unit. He married Hazel Havey on January 22, 1920. He became a columnist for the El Paso Herald that same year.
Owen P. White is the author of nine books and numerous articles about El Paso and the Southwest. His first book, Out of the Desert, was published in 1923. This book, a local history of El Paso, brought him to the attention of H. L. Mencken, editor of the American Mercury. Out of the Desert was also reviewed by the New York Times, who asked White to cover the inauguration of Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson as governor of Texas. This resulted in the Times offering him a job. He moved to New York in 1925 and settled in Cutochogue, Long Island, where he lived until his death. For the next couple of years, White worked as a freelance writer for several magazines. In 1926 he joined Collier's as an associate editor and staff writer, where he worked until1940. During his time at Collier's he attracted national attention for muckraking and speaking out against corrupt politicians, particularly those from Texas. His criticism of the oil industry and graft in the Lower Rio Grande valley brought the threat of lawsuits against both White and Collier's. His final work, Western Trails, all but finished at the time of his death, was never published. It deals with the major travel routes west of the Mississippi from the sixteenth century until 1836.
Owen P. White died on December, 1946 at age the age of 67. He was survived by his wife and his sister, Leigh White Osborn, but left no children. In November of 2000, he was inducted into the El Paso Historical Society Hall of Honor.
Series Description
Series I. Biographical - contains biographical material and photographs of Owen P. White. Includes several 8x10" portraits and a 3x5" snapshot of him in WWI uniform.
Series II. Correspondence - contains correspondence related to publishing efforts including correspondence with H. L. Mencken
Series III. Articles and Reviews - contains reviews of White's various works and some miscellaneous articles.
Series IV. Literary productions - contains off prints and copies of magazines containing many of White's articles. Also contains manuscripts for A Frontier Mother and Western Trails.
Scope and Content Notes
Contains correspondence, reviews, manuscripts, photographs, and periodicals. Consists mostly of periodicals in which his work appeared such as Colliers and American Mercury. Also contains correspondence with editor H. L. Mencken and with other publishers. Some correspondence relates to specific projects, including Out of the Desert, Frontier Mother, Just Me, Them Was the Days, Autobiography of a Durable Sinner, and Texas, An Informal Biography. There is some biographical information including several photographs and his obituaries.
Provenance Statement
Donated in 1967 by Mrs. Owen P. White. First inventoried and described in the late 1960's by the archivist Leon Metz. Fully processed and described in 2000 by the current archives staff. Correspondence between Baxter Polk and Mrs. White, and checklist of works by Owen P. White was moved to donor file.
Literary Rights Statement
Permission to publish material from the Owen P. White Papers must be obtained from the C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections Department, University of Texas at El Paso Library.
Notes to the Researcher
Many documents are very fragile; please handle with care.
Related Collections
Leigh W. Osborn Photographs, PH026.
Container List
| Box # | Folder # | Title | Date |
| Biographical Information | |||
| 1 | 1 | Photographs | |
| 2 | Articles | ||
| 3 | The Alcalde | ||
| 4 | Awards | ||
| 5 | Obituaries | ||
| Correspondence | |||
| 6 | Letters from, to and about H.L. Mencken | ||
| 7 | Letters from Publishers | ||
| 8 | Bailer threatened lawsuit | ||
| 9 | New York Times Correspondence | ||
| 10 | Letters - Frontier Mother | 1929 | |
| 11 | Letters - Autobiography of a Durable Sinner | 1942 | |
| 12 | Letters - Texas, an informal biography | 1945 | |
| 13 | Letters – Misc. | ||
| 14 | Letters - from White | ||
| Reviews and Articles | |||
| 15 | Reviews - Out of the Desert | 1923 | |
| 16 | Reviews - Just Me | 1924 | |
| 17 | Reviews - Them was the days | 1925 | |
| 18 | Reviews - Frontier Mother | 1929 | |
| 19 | Reviews - Autobiography of a Durable Sinner | 1942 | |
| 20 | Reviews - Texas, an Informal Biography | 1945 | |
| 21 | Misc. Articles | ||
| Literary Productions | |||
| 2 | 1 | "In the Nature of Prophecy" | |
| 2 | A Frontier Mother – Manuscript | 1929 | |
| 3 | A Frontier Mother – Article and Art | 1929 | |
| 4 | "All Washed Up" | Sep 1934 | |
| 5 | Today "Texas Thirst" | Jan 1935 | |
| 6 | "Hello Paris" | Feb 1936 | |
| 7 | Conservation – "Low, the Poor Indian" | Mar 1937 | |
| 8 | "America Calling" | Nov 1939 | |
| 9 | The American Mercury | Aug 1924 | |
| 10 | The American Mercury | May 1926 | |
| 11 | The American Mercury | Sep 1926 | |
| 12 | The American Mercury | Mar 1929 | |
| 13 | The American Mercury | Dec 1929 | |
| 14 | The American Mercury | Dec 1946 | |
| 3 | 1 | Liberty | Aug 1, 1936 |
| 2 | Liberty | Nov 28, 1936 | |
| 3 | Liberty | Dec 5, 1936 | |
| 4 | Liberty | Apr 17, 1937 | |
| 5 | Liberty | Apr 2, 1938 | |
| 6 | Liberty | Apr 9, 1938 | |
| 7 | Liberty | Apr 16, 1938 | |
| 8 | Articles | 1918-1932 | |
| 9 | Articles | 1919-1923 | |
| 10 | Articles | 1925 | |
| 11 | Articles | 1925 | |
| 12 | Articles | 1924-1931 | |
| 13 | Articles | 1951 | |
| 14 | Miscellaneous | ||
| 15 | Out of the Desert Publicity | ||
| 4 | Manuscript - Western Trails | ||
| 5 | 1 | Collier’s | Jul 9, 1927 |
| 2 | Collier’s | Apr 6, 1929 | |
| 3 | Collier’s | May 4, 1929 | |
| 4 | Collier’s | Jun 22, 1929 | |
| 5 | Collier’s | Aug 10,1929 | |
| 6 | Collier’s | Aug 17, 1929 | |
| 7 | Collier’s | Aug 24, 1929 | |
| 8 | Collier’s | Oct 5, 1929 | |
| 9 | Collier’s | Oct 12, 1929 | |
| 10 | Collier’s | Oct 19, 1929 | |
| 11 | Collier’s | Oct 26, 1929 | |
| 12 | Collier’s | Nov 9, 1929 | |
| 6 | 1 | Collier’s | Jun 6, 1931 |
| 2 | Collier’s | Jun 27, 1931 | |
| 3 | Collier’s | Nov 14, 1931 | |
| 4 | Collier’s | Jan 2, 1932 | |
| 5 | Collier’s | Feb 6, 1932 | |
| 6 | Collier’s | Feb 27, 1932 | |
| 7 | Collier’s | Aug 20, 1932 | |
| 8 | Collier’s | Oct 8, 1932 | |
| 9 | Collier’s | Oct 28, 1933 | |
| 10 | Collier’s | Jan 6, 1934 | |
| 11 | Collier’s | Mar 3, 1934 | |
| 12 | Collier’s | Jun 2, 1934 | |
| 13 | Collier’s | Jun 16, 1934 | |
| 14 | Collier’s | Jul 21, 1934 | |
| 15 | Collier’s | Aug 4, 1934 | |
| 16 | Collier’s | Oct 27, 1934 | |
| 7 | 1 | Collier’s | Jan 12, 1935 |
| 2 | Collier’s | Jan 26, 1935 | |
| 3 | Collier’s | Apr 6, 1935 | |
| 4 | Collier’s | May 11, 1935 | |
| 5 | Collier’s | Jun 22, 1935 | |
| 6 | Collier’s | Jul 27, 1935 | |
| 7 | Collier’s | Jul 27, 1935 | |
| 8 | Collier’s | Feb 15, 1936 | |
| 9 | Collier’s | May 17, 1941 | |
| 10 | Today | Jan 26, 1935 | |