William Henry Whitney (January 3, 1843 – May 4, 1909) was an American civil engineer active in Boston in the second half of the 19th century. Whitney is known for his pioneering maps and plans of cities in the Pacific Northwest.
Whitney was born in Massachusetts and studied at Harvard University. In 1862, he enlisted in the Union Army to partake in the Civil War (1861 – 1865), where he was wounded at least twice. After his return to Cambridge, Whitney served as Alderman and was involved with producing several maps and plans as part of the Boston City Engineer’s Office. In 1872 he partnered with J. Franklin Fuller to create an engineering firm. In this role, Whitney was an influential American proponent for the use of blueprint technology in both architecture and engineering.
When Fuller retired in 1888, Whitney took complete control of the company, which now bore his name. The following year, Whitney won a decisive contract with Union Pacific, which commissioned him to produce a series of plans for the new north-western cities, including Portland, Seattle, Astoria, Spokane, and others.
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- Pacific Northwest - Hawaii - Alaska
Whitney’s Map Of Seattle And Environs, Washington. Compiled From Official Records By O.P. Anderson And Co. Engineers and Draughtsmen. 1890.
- Whitney’s iconic 1890 map of Seattle: the Emerald City in its infancy following Washington statehood.
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