Biography of Albe B. Whiting



Excerpted from "Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1911-1912", Edited by Geo. W. Martin, Secretary. 

Vol XII., State Printing Office, Topeka, Kansas 1912.



submitted by Teresa Lindquist (merope@radix.net); (copyright) 2001 by Teresa Lindquist

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ALBE B. WHITING was born at Johnson, Lamoille county, Vermont, November 10, 1835. He is the son of Harris Whiting and Mary 

(Dodge) Whiting, who were born in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, of English and Scotch ancestry, connected with Cromwell 

and Bloody Mary, one of whom, an old Covenanter, fled to America to save his head from the English queen's axe. His parents 

were early settlers in northern Vermont, and he was educated in the common schools and in the academy of the town where he 

was born. Mr. Whiting came to Kansas in April, 1856, and located beyond the surveys in the Republican valley, a few miles 

northwest of Fort Riley, about where is now Milford, Geary county. He removed to Topeka in 1877, where he has resided ever 

since. He has been a farmer, freighter, miller and merchant. He indulged in office holding but little, having been drafted 

once as a postmaster, and served as police commissioner under Governor Lewelling. He followed or drove oxen from the 

Missouri river to the Rockies, opened roads, built bridges and ferries, a sawmill, a flooring mill and houses and stores on 

the frontier. He has also been especially active in establishing schools and churches. He is now, and has been for many 

years, a very liberal friend and trustee of Washburn College. Topeka. He was married in November, 1858, to Kate A. Whitney, 

of Vermont. They have had six children, four living, with eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Mr. Whiting 

determined to leave some permanent endowment for Washburn College, the Young Women's Christian Association and the Young 

Men's Christian Association of Topeka. He selected $25,000 as the beginning of his endowment, and then began casting about 

for some plan of investment which would actually net the greatest income to the three institutions to which he desired to 

contribute. He investigated all kinds of business ventures, bond and stock returns and real-estate investments, and finally 

decided upon a cemetery as the best possible investment for the college and Christian associations. Mr. Whiting bought the 

Mt. Hope cemetery grounds, 160 acres, one and one-half miles west of Topeka. The land alone cost $16,000, and that left 

$9000 to begin the improvement work. This was four years ago, and the permanent improvement work of the cemetery has been 

going on ever since and will go on forever.



(Included with article "Some Western Border Conditions in the 50's and 60's", page 1)