James W. Whittaker (born February 10, 1929), also known as Jim Whittaker, is an American
climber and
mountain guide.
[EverestHistory.com: Jim Whittaker](_blank)
/ref>Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
. On May 1, 1963, he became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest
Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...
as a member of the American Mount Everest Expedition led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, alongside the Sherpa Nawang Gombu, a nephew of Tenzing Norgay. They ran out of oxygen, but managed to reach the summit.
Biography
He is the twin brother of Lou Whittaker, a mountain guide who is often mistakenly credited with achieving the 1963 ascent of Everest. The twins started climbing in their teens in the 1940s while in the Boy Scouts.American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 26,000 members. The club is housed in the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in Golden, Colorado.
Through its members, the AAC advocates for American climbers d ...
president Nicholas Clinch
Nicholas Bayard Clinch III (9 November 1930, Evanston, Illinois – 15 June 2016, California) was an American mountain climber, lawyer, author and environmentalist. Clinch Peak, in Antarctica, was named for him in 2006.
Education and person ...
.US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
1 million for the first time.
In 1965, with Dee Molenaar and others, he guided Robert F. Kennedy up the newly named Mount Kennedy. Kennedy and Whittaker became fast friends and spent multiple vacations together. In 1968, he became Kennedy’s state campaign chairman. When Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles, Whittaker immediately flew over to comfort RFK's wife when her brother in law had to shut off life-support.
In 1990, he led the Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb that brought together climbers from the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, and China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
to summit Mount Everest. In addition to putting twenty climbers on the summit, the expedition hauled off a large amount of trash left on the mountain by previous expeditions.
Currently, Whittaker is chairman of the Board of Magellan Navigation
Magellan Navigation, Inc. is an American producer of consumer and professional grade global positioning system receivers, named after Ferdinand Magellan, the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe. Headquartered in San Dimas, California, wit ...
, a company that produces handheld Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide ge ...
(GPS) units.
In 1999 Whittaker released his autobiography, ''A Life on the Edge: Memoirs of Everest and Beyond''. His younger son, Leif Whittaker, published ''My Old Man and the Mountain: A Memoir'' in 2016, which relates the story of his own summit of Mount Everest, with his parents accompanying him on part of the journey, and with comparisons to his father's Mount Everest experiences.
Whittaker and his wife, Dianne Roberts, live in Port Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County.
In addition ...
. Their children are Joss and Leif Whittaker.
Awards and honors
* For being the first American to scale Mount Everest, Whittaker was awarded the Hubbard Medal by United States President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...
John F. Kennedy.
* Big Jim Mountain in Chelan County, Washington
Chelan County (, ) is a List of counties in Washington, county in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 79,074. The county seat and largest city is Wenatchee, Was ...
is named for him.Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park
Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park is a regional park in King County, Washington, near the towns of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue and Issaquah, Washington, Issaquah. The park was established in June 1983 to protect the central core of Couga ...
near Issaquah, Washington
Issaquah ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 40,051 at the 2020 census. Located in a valley and bisected by Interstate 90, the city is bordered by the Sammamish Plateau to the north and the " Issaquah ...
is named for him.
See also
* List of 20th-century summiters of Mount Everest
References
External links
Jim Whittaker: A Life on the Edge
Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, March 21, 2002
Interview with Jim Whittaker (2007)
Sarah Holbrooke interviews Jim Whittaker
by Mountainfilm in Telluride
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittaker, Jim
1929 births
Alpine guides
Living people
Mountain climbers from Seattle
American twins
Seattle University alumni
American summiters of Mount Everest
People from Port Townsend, Washington
West Seattle High School alumni