William Washington Whitney
Born: March 11, 1834 – Springfield, Illinois
Profession: Industrialist, Railroad Magnate, Base Ball Organizer
Century League Role: Owner, Chicago Chiefs; Founder and President, Century League
A product of the prairie and the parade ground, William Whitney cut his teeth in Springfield’s foundries before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1851. Graduating near the top of his class in 1855, he was assigned to the Corps of Engineers and served with distinction until the outbreak of the Civil War. Promoted rapidly for gallant service at Fort Donelson and Shiloh, Whitney rose to the rank of colonel while serving under both Grant and Sherman during the Western campaigns.
Known for his meticulous planning and stern demeanor, Whitney gained a reputation as a hard man — but a fair one. During his time in uniform, he formed a bond with a young Virginian artillery officer named Jefferson Edgerton, a fellow West Point man who remained loyal to the Union despite his Southern roots.
Following the war, Whitney returned to Illinois and quickly saw opportunity in the nation’s growing web of railroads. Backed by veterans-turned-investors and an encyclopedic knowledge of terrain, he built a produce shipping empire connecting Midwestern farms to Eastern markets. By the early 1870s, Whitney was one of Chicago’s most powerful men — and increasingly taken with the burgeoning sport of base ball.
Dissatisfied with the chaotic state of independent clubs and barnstorming nines, Whitney proposed something radical: a formal league, with dues, structure, and oversight. In the spring of 1875, he hosted a gathering of club proprietors in Chicago and unveiled his vision — the Century League, named in honor of the nation’s centennial.
Eight clubs signed on, including Whitney’s own Chicago Chiefs. Among the attendees was an unexpected but welcome face: Jefferson Edgerton, now settled in Philadelphia and operating a sporting goods business. Their wartime friendship became the league’s backbone, even as other owners clashed and schemes stirred.
And so, in 1876, the Century League opened its first season — with William Whitney at its helm, steering a sport he hoped to shape into a national institution.