History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, 1879.


Hon. William Whiting

Hon. William Whiting.


Hon. William Whiting was born in Dudley, Mass., March 24, 1841, and is the son of William B. Whiting and Elizabeth B. Whiting. The Whiting family is of English descent, the earliest ancestor in American having settled in Lynn, Mass., during the year 1636.

Mr. Whiting was educated in the public schools of Holyoke, and, after graduating at the high school, began his business life with the Holyoke Paper company as book-keeper in 1858. Afterward he traveled as their agent, and later accepted the position of business agent of the Hampden paper Company, but resigned at the end of three months, and purchased the wire-mill now knows as "Whiting No.1," and changed it into a mill for the manufacture of fine writing-paper, with a capacity of five tons per day. This business proving very successful, he purchased a tract of ground on Dwight Street and the second level of the canal, and erected the mill known as "Whiting No. 2." With a capacity of seven tons per day, making his full production twelve tons per day, a larger amount than is manufactured by any other corporation in America. In these mills he employs over five hundred operatives, with a pay-roll of over one hundred and eighty thousand dollars per annum. In 1877 he erected on his Dwight Street property a beautiful opera-house, the finest in New England outside of Boston, and at the same time a fine hotel,--the Windsor House (both of brick with stone trimmings), —at a cost of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. In 1872 he organized the Holyoke National Bank, and has been its president since. He is also a director in the Chapin Banking and Trust Company, of Springfield; a member of the finance committee of the Holyoke Savings-Bank; a director in the Holyoke Warp Company; vice-president of the Holyoke and Westfield Railroad, and has been largely identified in other enterprises. In politics he has always been a Republican. In 1873 he was elected State Senator by sixteen hundred majority. In 1877 he was elected Mayor of Holyoke, receiving the nomination from both parties, and in 1878 he was re-elected over the regular Democratic nominee by more than nine hundred majority. In 1876 and 1877 he held the office of city treasurer, defeating the Democratic candidate, notwithstanding Holyoke has generally given a majority for the Democratic party. In 1876 he was elected delegate to the Cincinnati Convention which nominated President Hayes.

Mr. Whiting married, in 1862, Miss Annie M., daughter of Luther M. Fairfield, of Holyoke and has two children,—William F., born July 20, 1864, and Raynor S., born Jan 20, 1867.



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