Walter Muir Whitehill (September 28, 1905 – March 5, 1978) was an American writer, historian, medievalist, preservationist, and the Director and Librarian of the Boston Athenaeum from 1946 to 1973.
He returned to Massachusetts, taking up a position as associate director of the Peabody Essex Museum from 1936 to 1942, while redirecting his research interest from medieval art to American maritime history.
[1]: 459 Whitehill was selected to deliver an important televised address about the history and development of Boston on the occasion of the Bicentennial Celebration of the United States.
On July 11, 1976, he spoke at the Old State House in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, the Mayor of Boston, the Governor of Massachusetts, and a large audience.
The text of his address was printed in a publication by the Bostonian Society, which operates the Old State House on behalf of the National Park Service.
Although Whitehill's publishing career focused on Bostoniana, his significant work on Spanish medieval topics represented the first American interest in the subject.