He was the son of William Whiting II, a politician and businessman, and Anna Morgan (née Fairfield).

[1] He attended Amherst College and graduated in the class of 1896 alongside future Secretary of State Robert Lansing.

[3] Later, Whiting and Frank Stearns were the first two "Coolidge Men" who advocated their friend as a serious presidential candidate.

[3] After the 1928 Republican National Convention, Herbert Hoover resigned as Secretary of Commerce to focus on winning the presidential election.

[4] Former Senator William Butler of Massachusetts turned down the post before Coolidge offered it to Whiting.