Whitney, Charlotte Anita (1867-1955)

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Associated Charities of Oakland

California Civic League

Jane Addams to Charlotte Anita Whitney, December 2, 1911

Charlotte Anita Whitney to Jane Addams, February 16, 1916

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Birth Date

1867-07-07

Death Date

1955-02-04

Birthplace

San Francisco, CA

Biographical Text

Charlotte Anita Whitney, often referred to as Anita Whitney, was educated in public and private schools before graduating from Wellesley College in 1889. She worked as a teacher for some time, but after visiting New York and seeing the slums, she decided to dedicate her life to social work. In 1901, she became the Executive Secretary of the United Charities of Oakland, California. Whitney was also involved in the campaign for woman suffrage, serving as California organizer of the National College Equal Suffrage League and as Vice President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. During World War I, she was a member of the Socialist Party of America, and she later joined the Communist Labor Party of America, working as an organizer in California. In 1919, Whitney was arrested and charged with "criminal syndicalism" for being part of the Communist Party and attempting to align the party with the Industrial Workers of the World and the Communist International, both of which were considered illegal groups in California. During the trial, Whitney's lawyer died of influenza, as did one of the jurors, but Whitney was ultimately convicted and sentenced to one to fourteen years in prison at San Quentin Penitentiary. After three physicians gave testimony that continued incarceration would present a danger to Whitney's health, she was released on bail. By 1922, her appeal reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and in 1927 the Supreme Court unanimously upheld her conviction. On June 20, 1927, California Governor C. C. Young granted Whitney an unconditional pardon. Despite her endless judicial trouble, Whitney ran for California State Controller in 1924, and in 1934 she helped establish the San Francisco Workers' School. In 1935, she was convicted of election fraud, and in 1936 she became the national chairwoman of the Communist Party. She was twice nominated for the U.S. Senate by the Communist Party. Whitney died in 1955.

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Edited By

Huntley, Kyle

Lichon, Sara Catherine

Lynn, Stacy

Rights

Public domain

Gender

Female

First appears

1911

Bibliography and Links

Encyclopedia Britannica

SNAC

Wikipedia

Citation

“Whitney, Charlotte Anita (1867-1955),” Jane Addams Digital Edition, accessed August 4, 2025, https://digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu/items/show/4049.

Whitney, Charlotte Anita (1867-1955)

Item Relations

Associated Charities of Oakland

California Civic League

Jane Addams to Sophonisba P. Breckinridge, December 2, 1911

Girl Syndicalist Gets 1 to 14 Years in California, February 25, 1920

Jane Addams and Sophonisba P. Breckinridge to Fremont Older, February 27, 1920

Fremont Older to Jane Addams, February 27, 1920

Oswald Garrison Villard to Jane Addams, March 15, 1920

Jane Addams to Paul Underwood Kellogg, March 16, 1920

Jane Addams to Paul Underwood Kellogg, March 23, 1920

Freedom of Speech and Opinion a Crime, April 1920

Paul Underwood Kellogg to Jane Addams, May 6, 1920

Paul Underwood Kellogg to Jane Addams, May 11, 1920

Jane Addams to Paul Underwood Kellogg, May 21, 1920

Jane Addams to Harry Frederick Ward, Jr., October 23, 1925

Jane Addams et al. to Friend William Richardson, November 3, 1925

Addams Statement on Anita Whitney, May 18, 1927

Jane Addams to Anne Henrietta Martin, May 31, 1927

Jane Addams to Charlotte Anita Whitney, December 2, 1911

Charlotte Anita Whitney to Jane Addams, February 16, 1916

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