George White (merchant)

George White (1648 – after 1707) was an English merchant and co-founder of the reformed East India Company in 1692. It is believed that White was born in Bristol, England during the English Civil War and was the son of a merchant trader. White gained his Master's Certificate and set sail for India in 1670. It is said that he used his or his family's ship and took up residence in Fort St George, Madras (now Chennai).

When White arrived in the Far East, he was not employed by the East India Company but worked as a coastal trader supplying and transporting goods from as far as the Persian Gulf. This appears to have been acceptable to the Company, though he was regarded as an "interloper". The laws of the charter given to the Company provided that any English ships trading between the East of India and England might be seized and fined £1000.00. However, since White was working on coastal trade, he was not subject to the penalty and developed an acceptable working relationship with the Company.

On White's outward journey to the East of India, he employed a Greek man named Constantine Phaulkon as his assistant. Phaulkon had left his native country at a young age and had worked on several ships of different nationalities. He was a gifted linguist and very bright. White and Phaulkon worked together in Siam, where Phaulkon rose, in time, to be the first Minister to the Court of King Narai, the later King of Siam. White was recommended to the East India Company for his knowledge of the trade in India by Richard Barnaby, the Head of the Company factor (factory) in Madras. The two went on to be good friends and trading partners.

In 1676, whilst White was living in Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam, his wife left their mansion in Fort St George and joined him there.

In 1681 the Siamese Court ordered forfeiture of White’s house and factor that he administered for the East India Company. The order was made due to non-payment of rent on his house. White had refused to pay as this was not in the original agreement. Barnaby, being worried for White’s safety, sent three armed Englishmen to protect him. This astonished White, as he was quite happy and felt that he could handle the situation. The Company paid the debts owed and his stocks were released.

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