He was an author; wrote an interesting biography of Charles A. Canfield, privately published.203

Writer, aviator, sporting enthusiast, original member of the International Olympic Committee

Transcribed from “The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography”, vol XXV, 1936; p. 284
CASPER WHITNEY: sportsman and author, was born in Boston, Mass. Sept. 2, 1861., son of John Henry and Amelia D. (Golderman) Whitney. His father was for many years in the iron business, with his brothers, Charles W. and Alfred R. Whitney, later representing the firm in San Francisco. The son was graduated at. St. Matthew’s College, California, in 1879. From boyhood be was devoted to sports of all kinds, particularly shooting and hunting, and loved horses and dogs. In college he won many athletic honors, being captain of the football, baseball and lacrosse teams, besides being highly proficient in boxing fencing, wrestling and track events. He also edited the college paper for two years. After his qraduation be spent five years in the West and in Mexico, hunting, writing, exploring and mining. Then, prompted by a strong interest in amateur sports, he established in New York City a small paper devoted to this subject. He was manager of this paper until be resigned in 1888 to become sports writer for "Harper's Weekly" which position he held until 1899. During this period and later he made numerous exploring trips traveling all over the United States and its territorial possessions and in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, India, Siam, Sumatra and the Malay States. In 1893 he made a tour of Europe to study the sports of England and the Continent. During the Spanish-American war be was war correspondent, for “Harper's Weekly" in Cuba. In 1900 he purchased "Outing," a monthly magazine devoted to sport, adventure, travel and country life, and organized the Outing Publishing Co., serving as editor of the magazine and president of the company until 1909. He then became editor of "Collier’s Outdoor America” and in 1913 assumed the editorship of "Recreation”. He went to Mexico as a newspaper correspondent in 1914 and, with Mrs. Whitney, was connected with the commission for the relief of Belgium during 1915-16. For this work he was decorated by the Belgian and French governments. After the United States entered the World war he became special correspondent in Europe for the “New York Tribune," continuing until the close of the peace conference. He was editor of "The American Sportsman's Library" and author of “A Sporting Pilgrimage," "On Snow Shoes to the Barren Grounds” and “Hawaiian America” (1899); "Jungle Trails and Jungle People" (1911); "The Flowing Road" (1912); "What's the matter with Mexico” (1916); "Gott Mitt Uns - The Boche Delusion" and "The Critical Year, 1918-Shall We Be Too Late!" (1919), and “The Tempering of the Doughboy" (1919). As a writer he had a singular direct and forceful style, with an unusual gift for vivid description, and his opinion commanded the greatest respect in the world of sports. His influence on the development and purification of amateur sports was important. Prior to his time little attention was paid by sports writers to amateur athletics, hunting fishing and other recreational activities, but to him they had strong appeal, and his unremitting efforts to stimulate interest in them and keep them wholesome made him an internationally recognized authority in this field. His career was exceptionally varied and active, taking him into little known parts of the world and where ever danger, excitement, adventure and sport were to he found. He was particularly interested in Central and South America, where he felt the trade possibilities with North America were particularly great, and he did much to encourage friendship between the United States and Latin-American countries. In his wanderings he made a fine collection of the weapons of primitive peoples. It characteristic of him that he felt much sympathy with primitive peoples who were being exterminated by advancing civilization, his tendency being always to sympathize with the underdog. He was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London and the - American Geographical Society, and at one time held membership the the Racquet and Tennis, Century Authors', Explorers', Armor and Arms, India House, Sleepy Hollow Country, Ardsley Country and Boone and Crockett clubs of New York and the Artistic and Literary clubs of Paris. In religion he was an Episcopalian. He was married twice: (1) in April 1897, to Cora, daughter of Orren Poppleton Chase of Portland, Oreg.; (2) June 4, 1909, to Florence, daughter of Charles Adelbert Canfield (q.v.) of Los Angeles, Calif, by whom be had two daughters: Faith Canfield, wife of Morgan Wing, Jr., suit Phoebe Chloe Whitney. He died in New York city, Jan. 18, 1929.