William F. Whiting
Template:Infobox officeholder William Fairfield Whiting (July 20, 1864Template:Spaced ndashAugust 31, 1936) was United States secretary of commerce from August 22, 1928, to March 4, 1929, during the last months of the administration of Calvin Coolidge.
Early life and career
Whiting was born on July 20, 1864, in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He was the son of William Whiting II, a politician and businessman, and Anna Morgan (née Fairfield).<ref name="ReferenceA">W.F. Whiting, Coolidge's Aid in Cabinet, Dies," The Washington Post, September 1, 1936</ref> He attended Amherst College and graduated in the class of 1896 alongside future Secretary of State Robert Lansing.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
When Whiting's father, who organized the Whiting Paper Company, became president of that business, William Fairfield Whiting became treasurer.<ref name="Weeks 1916 247">Template:Citation</ref> When his father died, Whiting became president of the Whiting Paper Company and his brother Samuel Raynor Whiting became treasurer.<ref name="Weeks 1916 247" /> He became a lifelong friend of future President Coolidge when Coolidge was mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts.<ref name="ReferenceB">"Filling Hoover's Shoes," Los Angeles Times, Oct. 14, 1928</ref> Later, Whiting and Frank Stearns were the first two "Coolidge Men" who advocated their friend as a serious presidential candidate. At the 1920 Republican National Convention, Whiting voted for Coolidge for president on every ballot, the sole delegate to do so after Warren G. Harding had sewed up the votes to win the nomination.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>
After the 1928 Republican National Convention, Herbert Hoover resigned as Secretary of Commerce to focus on winning the presidential election. President Coolidge's appointment of Whiting as Hoover's successor surprised the Washington establishment. The position was predicted to go to Hoover's preferred candidate, Dr. Julius Klein, the director of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce and Klein did not get the position when Hoover became president.<ref name="ReferenceC">"Naming of Whiting Astonishes Capital," The New York Times, August 22, 1928</ref> Former Senator William Butler of Massachusetts turned down the post before Coolidge offered it to Whiting.<ref name="ReferenceC"/> His appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 11, 1928.<ref>Whiting Given O.K. of Senate, Los Angeles Times, December 12, 1928.</ref>
During his first press interview after his appointment, Whiting stated, "My policies will be Mr. Hoover's policies."<ref name="ReferenceB"/> As secretary, he headed President Coolidge's delegation to the International Conference on Civil Aeronautics.<ref>"Named for Air Parley," The New York Times, Nov. 3, 1928.</ref>
Personal life
Whiting married the former Anne H. Chapin, daughter of Judge Edward Whitman Chapin, on October 19, 1892.<ref name="Cutter 1910 980">Template:Citation</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/> The couple had four children: William Whiting, Edward Chapin Whiting, Fairfield Whiting and Ruth Whiting Fowler.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Like his father, Whiting gained a reputation for raising Jersey cattle and poultry.<ref>WF Whiting of Coolidge Cabinet Dies, Hartford Courant, Sept 1, 1936.</ref>
He died of a long illness at his Holyoke home on August 31, 1936.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> He is interred in Forestdale Cemetery in Holyoke along with his parents.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
References
External links
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