Peter Whitney ’65

Body

Pete died Feb. 9, 2012, from a stroke following cardiovascular surgery.

He came to Princeton from Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, N.Y. He majored in history and co-chaired the Intercollegiate Conference on Latin American Affairs. He pitched freshman baseball, played freshman soccer, and ate at Tower Club.

After graduation, Pete spent a year in Brazil on a Fulbright. He earned master’s degrees from Vanderbilt (economics) and Harvard (public affairs) and was a graduate of the National War College.

Pete was a career Foreign Service officer, serving in Portugal, Japan, Brazil, Chile, Jamaica, Argentina (where he founded the Princeton Club), and Washington. After retirement, he taught economics and international trade at Duke, American University, the University of Denver, and the National Foreign Affairs Training Institute. He was a senior adviser on Latin America for Control Risks Group and co-authored Fundamentals of U.S. Foreign Trade Policy.

Pete’s active mind and spirit encompassed many areas. He was treasurer of the Vinifera Winegrowers Association, president of the Washington Botanical Society, a board member of the C&O Canal Association, and Little League commissioner in Annandale, Va.

The class sends sympathy to Peter’s wife of 44 years, Martha; sister Mary Whitney Hoch; daughter Martha Savanna Whitney; son Tyson Peter Whitney; and granddaughters Eva Maria and Marta Mireia Whitney.

No responses yet

Join the conversation

Plain text

Full name and Princeton affiliation (if applicable) are required for all published comments. For more information, view our commenting policy. Responses are limited to 500 words for online and 250 words for print consideration.

Paw in print

Image
The October 2025 cover of PAW, featuring an illustration of a woman dressed like Superman, but the S on her chest is a dollar sign.
The Latest Issue

October 2025

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott ’92; President Eisgruber ’83 defends higher ed; Julia Ioffe ’05 explains Russia.