Payne Whitney

William Payne Whitney (March 20, 1876 – May 25, 1927) was a wealthy American businessman and member of the influential Whitney family.

Early life

William Payne Whitney was born on March 20, 1876. He was the son of William C. Whitney and Flora Payne, and younger brother to Harry Payne Whitney.

Whitney was educated at the Groton School. He attended Yale University, where he was a member of Skull and Bones,Delta Kappa Epsilon, and captained the Yale rowing team. After graduating in 1898, Whitney then studied law at the Harvard Law School, receiving his Bachelor of Laws in 1901.

Career

In addition to a substantial inheritance from his father, Payne Whitney inherited $63,000,000 from his uncle, Col. Oliver Hazard Payne. Amongst his many investments, Whitney had major holdings in banking, tobacco, railroads, mining and oil. He was a member of the board of directors and/or an executive officer of several large corporations, including the City Bank New York, and the Great Northern Paper Company, and the Northern Finance Corporation.