Jessamine S. Whitney

Jessamine Sophia Whitney (1880 – March 11, 1941) was an American statistician and public health professional, who worked at the National Tuberculosis Association for 22 years.

[4] Whitney taught English in Puerto Rico as a young woman; during that time, in 1904, she was described as "the first woman to drive an automobile in Porto Rico": "she very quickly mastered it, finally taking complete charge and guiding the vehicle the greater part of the distance" from Ponce to San Juan.

[7] Whitney began working at the National Tuberculosis Association in 1918, as "research secretary", a title eventually changed to "chief statistician".

[9] She documented "tuberculosis migration," showing how Easterners with tuberculosis moving to the American Southwest for the supposed health benefits of a drier climate was creating a strain on resources in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and California.

[21] Whitney died after suffering a heart attack at her desk in 1941, aged 61 years, in New York.

An automobile with four passengers in 1904, including a woman in a long white dress in front.
Jessamine S. Whitney in an automobile in Puerto Rico, from a 1904 publication.
A man and a woman standing on a baseball diamond. The man is wearing a player's uniform; the woman is wearing a loose, tailored suit and an umpire's mask, and holds a bat.
Jessamine S. Whitney as an umpire in a 1914 charity baseball game (the player in the foreground is Pat Witherbee).