Otis Minot Whitney (March 25, 1909 – July 5, 1982) was an American politician, jurist, and military officer who served as Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Safety and was a commander of the

Massachusetts National Guard The Massachusetts National Guard is the National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the oldest units in the United States Army. What is toda ...

Yankee Division The 26th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army. A major formation of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, it was based in Boston, Massachusetts for most of its history. Today, the division's heritage is carried ...

Early life

Whitney was born on March 25, 1909, in Concord, Massachusetts. He graduated from Browne & Nichols School and enrolled in Harvard College. While there he joined the National Guard. He graduated cum laude in 1930 and went on to graduate from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1933. While in law school he president of the Concord Republican Town Committee and helped found the Young Republicans. After law school he joined the law office of Parkman, Robbins, Coughlin and Hannan.

Political career

From 1937 to 1943, Whitney represented the 13th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Following Whitney's discharge from the Army, the Massachusetts General Court appointed Whitney to a vacant seat on the Massachusetts Governor's Council. In 1953, Whitney was appointed Commissioner of Public Safety. In 1955, Whitney combined his roles as Commissioner of Public Safety and assistant commander of the Yankee Division during a riot at the

Charlestown State Prison Charlestown State Prison was a correctional facility in Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts operated by the Massachusetts Department of Correction. The facility was built at Lynde's Point, now at the intersection of Austin Street and New Rutherf ...

. He ordered that a National Guard tank be brought to break down the prison doors as a show of strength. The tank, however, got stuck on the Prison Point Bridge. The riot ended after 85 hours. In 1959, Democratic Governor Foster Furcolo replaced Whitney as Public Safety Commissioner. Furcolo however appointed Whitney to the position of state insurance commissioner. Whitney's appointment was opposed on political grounds by Lieutenant Governor Robert F. Murphy, who stated that "with 850,000 registered Democrats in Massachusetts, it is unthinkable that there isn't a qualified Democrat to hold down any office". Whitney's was confirmed by the Massachusetts Governor's Council on a 6 to 3 vote. A labor dispute between the Metropolitan Transit Authority and Carmen's Union led the Massachusetts General Court to approve Governor

John A. Volpe John Anthony Volpe (; December 8, 1908November 11, 1994) was an American businessman, diplomat, and politician from Massachusetts. A son of Italian immigrants, he founded and owned a large construction firm. Politically, he was a Republican in i ...

's request for emergency control of the M.T.A. Volpe chose Whitney to manage the M.T.A. for the 45-day emergency period that began on April 1, 1962. Later that year, Volpe appointed Whitney presiding justice of the Concord District Court. He was sworn in on September 14, 1962.

Military career

During World War II, Whitney led a unit of the United States Army's Americal Division during the

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

. He was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

for gallantry in action. In 1944, Whitney was stricken with malaria and sent back to the United States, where he promoted to the rank of colonel and given command of the general staff school at Fort Leavenworth. He was discharged from the Army in 1946. In 1951, Whitney was promoted to brigadier general and appointed assistant commander of the Yankee Division. On November 13, 1957, he became a major general and was put in command of the division. He retired from the National Guard on November 14, 1962.

Later life

On February 29, 1968, Whitney retired from the Concord District Court for "purely personal reasons". He then moved to

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

, and after passing the Florida bar resumed the practice law. He served as chairman of the Planning and Zoning Board of St. Petersburg Beach, was a member of the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee, and was a delegate to the

1976 Republican National Convention The 1976 Republican National Convention was a United States political convention of the Republican Party that met from August 16 to August 19, 1976, to select the party's nominee for President. Held in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, the ...

. Whitney died on July 5, 1982, at the Palms of Pasadena Hospital in

South Pasadena, Florida South Pasadena is a city in southern Pinellas County, Florida, United States, near St. Pete Beach, Florida, St. Pete Beach. The population was 4,964 at the 2010 census. Geography South Pasadena is located at (27.754393, –82.739871). According ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Otis M. 1909 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Army personnel of World War II Buckingham Browne & Nichols School alumni Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts National Guard personnel Massachusetts District Court judges Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives National Guard (United States) generals Politicians from Concord, Massachusetts People from St. Petersburg, Florida 20th-century American judges

Early life

Political career

Military career

Later life

See also

References