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Whitney family

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Notable American family
For other people with this surname, see Whitney (surname).

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Whitney family
CountryUnited States
Place of origin
England
FounderJohn Whitney
Connected families
Paget family
Vanderbilt family
EstatesThe Elms
Greenwood Plantation

The Whitney family is a prominent American family descended from English emigrant John Whitney (1592–1673), who left London in 1635 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. The historic family mansion in Watertown, known as The Elms, was built for the Whitneys in 1710.[1]

Successive generations of the Whitney family have significantly influenced American history. Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin in 1793 enabled cotton seeds to be removed 50 times faster, a breakthrough that helped the country produce 75% of the world's cotton supply[2] and boosted the demand for slaves.[3] In 1844, Asa Whitney launched a campaign to build a railway linking the country's west to the east that ultimately resulted in the first transcontinental railroad. William Collins Whitney, who became U.S. Secretary of the Navy in 1885, oversaw the American fleet's adoption of steel ships, which helped the United States become a world power. In the 20th century, family members significantly impacted the country's economy through their ownership of conglomerates such as Pan Am, J.H. Whitney & Company, and Freeport-McMoran.

Members of the Whitney family have also been major figures for more than a century in the breeding and racing of Thoroughbred horses.[4][5] The Whitneys continue to be involved in philanthropic efforts due to the wealth accumulated by past generations. They are also members of the Episcopal Church.[6]

Prominent descendants of John Whitney

Eli Whitney Jr. (1765–1825), inventor of the cotton gin
Asa Whitney (1797–1872), a wealthy merchant as well as one of the first proponents of a U.S. transcontinental railroad.

By marriage:

Collins-Whitney family line

James Scollay Whitney
William Collins Whitney
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney

Family network

Associates

People closely aligned with or subordinate to the Whitney family include:

Businesses

Companies in which the Whitney family have held a controlling or otherwise substantial interest include:

Philanthropy and non-profit organizations

Buildings, estates and historic sites

References

  1. ^ a b Cutter 1908, pp. 1400–1401.
  2. ^ "Eli". US National Archives. August 15, 2016. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  3. ^ "The cotton gin: A game-changing social and economic invention". National Constitution Centre. March 14, 2022. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "Racing Proud of Whitney Heritage: Three Generations of Family Prominent on American Scene; Among Founders of Jockey Club, Campaigned Abroad; Owned Two Derby Winners". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. May 5, 1956. Archived from the original on February 23, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  5. ^ "Marylou Whitney Stables LLC". Equibase.com. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  6. ^ W. Williams 2016, p. 176:The names of fashionable families who were already Episcopalian, like the Morgans, or those, like the Fricks, who now became so, goes on interminably: Aldrich, Astor, Biddle, Booth, Brown, Du Pont, Firestone, Ford, Gardner, Mellon, Morgan, Procter, Vanderbilt, Whitney. Episcopalian branches of the Baptist Rockefellers and Jewish Guggenheims even appeared on these family trees.
  7. ^ a b Hendrick 1920, p. 138.
  8. ^ a b c Burnley 1901, p. 226.
  9. ^ Ingham 1983, pp. 1614–1615.
  10. ^ "WILLIAM C. WHITNEY PASSES AWAY" (PDF). New York Times. February 3, 1904. p. 2. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  11. ^ Ingham 1983, pp. 1612–1614.
  12. ^ NYT 1904, p. 2.
  13. ^ Ingham 1983, p. 1614.
  14. ^ "Birth of the Paper Giant | Great Northern Paper". Greatnorthernpaperhistory.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  15. ^ "Mr. Barney's Career. Prominent All His Life in Finance, Art, and Realty Operations", The New York Times, November 15, 1907.
  16. ^ "JOHN HAY WHITNEY DIES AT 77; PUBLISHER LED IN MANY FIELDS". The New York Times. February 9, 1982. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  17. ^ Klein, Henry H. (1921). Dynastic America and Those Who Own It. Henry H. Klein. p. 164.
  18. ^ Ingham 1983, p. 1615.
  19. ^ "Glen Cove's multi-talented Clarissa Watson dies in France". Herald Community Newspapers. April 10, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  20. ^ Chin, Jessica (July 3, 2017). "Greentree Foundation maintains community roots with grants". The Island Now. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  21. ^ "JOHN HAY WHITNEY DIES AT 77; PUBLISHER LED IN MANY FIELDS". The New York Times. February 9, 1982. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  22. ^ Nemy, Enid (July 19, 2019). "Marylou Whitney, Social Queen of the Racing World, Dies at 93". New York Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  23. ^ Dahler 2020, p. 110.
  24. ^ "David Whitney Building". Historic Detroit.org. Archived from the original on May 23, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  25. ^ "The Whitney Museum of American Art". The Art Story.org. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2014.

Bibliography

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