James Scollay Whitney (May 19, 1811 – October 24, 1878) was an American business executive and politician. He was the father of

Henry Melville Whitney Henry Melville Whitney (October 22, 1839 – January 25, 1923) was an American industrialist, the founder of the West End Street Railway Company of Boston, Massachusetts, and later the Dominion Coal Company Ltd. and the Dominion Iron and Steel ...

and

William Collins Whitney William Collins Whitney (July 5, 1841February 2, 1904) was an American political leader and financier and a prominent descendant of the John Whitney family. He served as Secretary of the Navy in the first administration of President Grover Clev ...

, founders of the

Whitney family The Whitney family is an American family notable for their business enterprises, social prominence, wealth and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney (1592–1673), who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635. The historic fa ...

business interests.

Early life

Whitney was born on May 19, 1811, in the part of

South Deerfield, Massachusetts South Deerfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to the Yankee Candle Company. At the 2010 census, the population of South Deerfield was 1,880. South Deerfield is part of ...

that was then known as "Bloody Brook". He was the son of Stephen Whitney (1784–1852), a merchant manufacturer, and his second wife, Mary (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Burgess) Whitney (1786–1868), the daughter of Dr. Benjamin Burgess. Among his siblings was Susan Whitney (wife of James I. Wakefield) and Mary Ann Whitney (wife of Theodore Billings). From his father's first marriage to Persis Locke, he was the younger half-brother of Stephen Whitney. Through his maternal aunt, Mercy (''née'' Burgess) Dawes, he was a first cousin of

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics *Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people *House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities *Legislator, someon ...

Henry L. Dawes Henry Laurens Dawes (October 30, 1816February 5, 1903) was an attorney and politician, a Republican United States Senator and United States Representative from Massachusetts. He is notable for the Dawes Act (1887), which was intended to stimula ...

. The Whitney family were descended from John Whitney (1590–1673) of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

who settled in 1635 at

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Watertown ...

Career

In 1835, when he was only 24, Whitney was elected and commissioned brigadier general of the 2nd Brigade of the Massachusetts State Militia, which he was largely influential in reorganizing. Upon succeeding to the management of his father's manufacturing business in 1838, he moved it to

Conway, Massachusetts Conway is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,761 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Conway was first settled by English colonists ...

, where he became a large manufacturer.''The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography'', Vol. X, p. 154-155. New York: James T. White & Company, 1909. Reprint of 1900 edition. A

Jacksonian Democrat Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, Andr ...

, Whitney was town clerk of Conway from 1843 to 1852. He represented Conway in the legislature of 1851 and, in the same year, he was appointed sheriff of Franklin County. In 1853, he was elected to the convention for the revision of the state constitution, in which he was prominent in the deliberations of the delegates. Whitney again represented Conway in the legislature of 1854. In 1854, Whitney was appointed superintendent of the federal armory at

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

, by President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

, holding the position until 1860. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention of 1856 in Cincinnati, which nominated

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

, and also that of

1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...

in Charleston, which was wracked by sectional dissension before finally nominating

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

. When Whitney left the

Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until ...

in 1860, President Buchanan appointed him Collector of Customs for the Port of Boston. He was removed, however, by the incoming Republican administration of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

in 1861. Whitney then went into business in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. In February 1866, he joined Boston interests in organizing the

Metropolitan Steamship Company The Metropolitan Steamship Company was for 75 years one of the chief transportation links between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. It was closely associated with the Whitney family until its acquisition by Charles W. Morse in 1906. Even af ...

, of which he was elected president. His son Henry was named its agent at Boston. The company operated steamships between Boston and New York City on the "outside line" around

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

. The line named the iron steamer SS ''General Whitney'' in his honor in 1873. A member of the

Massachusetts State Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member sen ...

from the 1st Norfolk District in 1872, Whitney was president of the Democratic State Convention of 1876, which nominated

Charles Francis Adams, Sr. Charles Francis Adams Sr. (August 18, 1807 – November 21, 1886) was an American historical editor, writer, politician, and diplomat. As United States Minister to the United Kingdom during the American Civil War, Adams was crucial to Union effort ...

for governor, and also that of 1878, which nominated Josiah G. Abbott for governor.

Personal life

On November 23, 1836, Whitney married Laurinda Collins (1810–1908) in

Somers, Connecticut Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. The population was 10,255 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). In 2007, ''Money Magazine'' listed Somers 53rd on its "100 Bes ...

. Laurinda, a daughter of William Collins and Eunice (''née'') Collins, was a descendant of William Bradford, the

Governor of Plymouth Colony The territory of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the fifty United States, was settled in the 17th century by several different English colonies. The territories claimed or administered by these colonies encompassed a much ...

. The Whitneys were the parents of two sons and four daughters, of whom the following received historical mention: *

(1839–1923), who married Margaret Foster Green, daughter of Admiral Joseph F. Green. *

(1841–1904), who first married Flora Payne, daughter of Senator

Henry B. Payne Henry B. Payne (November 30, 1810September 9, 1896) was an American politician from Ohio. Moving to Ohio from his native New York in 1833, he quickly established himself in law and business while becoming a local leader in Democratic politics. ...

of Ohio. After her death, he married Edith (''née'' May) Randolph. * Susan Collins Whitney (1845–1939), who married lawyer

Henry F. Dimock Henry Farnam Dimock (March 28, 1842 – April 10, 1911) was a lawyer in New York City who was closely associated with the Whitney family business interests. Early life and education Dimock was born in South Coventry, Connecticut, the son of Dr. ...

(1842–1911), son of Timothy Dimock. * Lorinda Collins "Lily" Whitney (1852–1946), who married Charles T. Barney (1851–1907), president of the

Knickerbocker Trust Company The Knickerbocker Trust was a bank based in New York City that was, at one time, among the largest banks in the United States. It was a central player in the Panic of 1907. History The bank was chartered in 1884 by Frederick G. Eldridge, a frie ...

. Whitney died in Boston on October 24, 1878. He was succeeded as president of the Metropolitan Steamship Company by his son, Henry M. Whitney.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, James Scollay 1811 births 1878 deaths American manufacturing businesspeople Whitney family People from Deerfield, Massachusetts American people of English descent Collectors of the Port of Boston Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Democratic Party Massachusetts state senators People from Conway, Massachusetts 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

References