William Francis Whitman, Jr.

William Francis Whitman, Jr. (1914-2007) was a horticulturist who prospected for unusual tropical fruits around the world, and popularized them in the United States.

He was born in 1914 in Chicago, a son of Leona and William Francis Whitman, Sr.. His father owned a printing company in Chicago and later developed real estate in Miami, Florida. He sailed to Tahiti, and was fascinated by the tropical fruits. He founded the Rare Fruit Council International, based in Miami, and was its first president, from 1955 to 1960. He introduced to Florida the Kohala longan. He was also inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 1998. William got his degree from the University of Florida in administration.

Publications

• Five Decades with Tropical Fruit (2001)

References

• New York Times; June 4, 2007; Bill Whitman, 92, Is Dead; Scoured the Earth for Rare Fruit. William F. Whitman Jr., a self-taught horticulturist who became renowned for collecting rare tropical fruits from around the world and popularizing them in the United States, died Wednesday at his home in Bal Harbour, Florida. He was 92.