Colden H. and Kit Whitman

Colden Hoffman Whitman was born in Denver, Colorado on August 10, 1893, and died in Madera (Madera Community Hospital) on May 5, 1975 at the age of 80. After graduating from of Yale University, he spent several years in Paris before moving to Carmel, California, where he lived for twenty years. In 1945, he purchased a ranch on the Fresno River, west of Coarsegold in the foothills of Madera County.

During his time in Carmel, Colden worked as a graphic designer, artist and book illustrator. He collaborated with his younger brother, Paul Whitman, a noted artist, on the book, The Adventures of Nicolás (1955). Colden did the dust jacket art on The Trouble with Lazy Ethel (1958) and Soldier of Fortune (1954), both by Ernest Gann. Colden in collaboration with Julian P. Graham also designed the 1952 poster for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance .

                    
   Rio Grande (1955) contains ten drawings by Colden Whitman. Shown is the cover and part of the title page. Cover of Twilight for the Gods (1956) designed by Colden.

Family

Colden was the son of Charles N. Whitman and Pauline Lingenbrink. Pauline, born 28 Nov 1867, and emigrated from Viersen, Germany in 1884. Charles Whitman was a Texas cattleman, who managed the LS Ranch, so named for its founder, Lucien Scott. When Lucien died in 1893, his wife, Julia, deeded the operation to her brother, Charles. The ranch was located in the Panhandle, covered 206,000 acres of land, and contained 14,000 head of cattle, 400 horses and 30 mules. Charles built the headquarters of the ranch near Tascosa. A former LS cowboy, James 'Shorty' O'Neil, told a historian that Charles began a tradition of presenting each cowboy working on the ranch with a new Stetson for Christmas each year. "Pretty soon, everyone on the ranch and in the surrounding country was referring to hats, especially new hats, as Whitmans."

Charles died in 1899 2, and his wife Pauline and her brother, Will Lingenbrink, continued to manage the spread. A new partnership was formed in 1902, when Pauline married Frederick H. Kreismann, an insurance broker of St. Louis, Missouri. The census for 1910 and 1920 shows Colden living with his mother and step-father in St. Louis (4362 McPherson Avenue) along with his brother and two twin step-sisters.

 
Colden and Paul ca. 1911    Charles N. and Pauline Lingenbrink Whitman

Source: Woman's Who's Who of America (1914-15)

Source: Custer County Republican (Broken Bow, Nebraska newspaper) Thursday 28 September 1899.

Yale University

Colden received a Bachelors of Philosophy degree from Yale University (Class of 1915). He attended the Sheffield Scientific School where he studied Finance (including insurance and real estate). This is important in the context of his step-father's insurance business, his father's land deals, and that he traded in real estate while living in Coarsegold. He was the Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Yale Sheffield Monthly. In 1915, he was elected to the Elizabethan Club and the Aurelian Society, which was founded in 1910 to honor outstanding students with high moral character, gentlemanly conduct, ability and scholarly achievement.1

Travel

In 1921, at the age of 28, Colden applied for a passport with the intention of visiting relatives and touring France, Switzerland, the British Isles, Belgium and Holland. He sailed from New York City on 27 August on board the S. S. Rochambeau, a French vessel of Compagnie Generale Transatlantique. Colden returned to New York on 3 June 1922, having left London, England on 23 May 1922. He sailed on board the SS President Monroe.

    
SS Rochambeau                                               SS President Monroe                                   SS La Provence

However, this was not Colden's first trip to Europe. According to the New York Passenger Lists 1820-1957, Colden, aged 14, and his brother, Paul, aged 10, are shown to have arrived in New York on the 18 September 1907, having left Le Havre, France on 7 September. They made their transatlantic voyage aboard the SS La Provence. They apparently travelled alone, and no doubt made the trip to visit their mother's German relatives. It was probably on such a journey that Colden found himself in Germany at the outbreak of the First World War when the country was frantically mobilizing, and he writes of his experience in a Yale University monthly magazine. When the United States finally joined the war on April 6, 1917, Colden dutifully registered for the draft.

Marriage

Colden married Kate Muriel Iolanthe [Wilkinson], better known as Kit.

Kit was the daugher of Thomas Robert Smith and Florence H. King Smith. At the age of 20, on 2 May 1918, she married Eric Hugh Wilkinson in Carleton (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). Eric was born in the British colony of Hong Kong. The National Archives (Kew, England) show that in 1934, Eric petitioned for divorce, naming Colden H. Whitman as the co-respondent.

Kit Whitman was born on February 13, 1898 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and died in Fresno ( Bel Haven Convalescnet Hoptial) on August 6, 1976 at the age of 76. Kit was educated in England. She traveled widely and lived in Europe for many years. The California Passenger and Crew Lists, 1893-1957 shows that she visited Tahiti in 1929. Kit helped found the Carmel Art Institution in 1937 along with her brother-in-law, Paul and the artist, Armin Hansen to provide year-round instruction. In the mid-1930's, she and Colden purchased the Cool Canyon Ranch on the Fresno River, near Coarsegold, which was featured in Sunset Magazine in 1952. She was the social director for Yosemite National Park, and was based at the Ahwahnee Hotel. Her name features in the Yosemite Sentinel during the mid-1950s and 60's. The Yosemite Sentinel was park's newsletter, and was published by the Yosemite Park and Curry Company. Kit was on the editorial staff. During the 1970's, she was the driving force behind the Mountain Area Cultural Committee, which brought cultural events and artists of talent to perform in the foothills of Madera County.

Kit Whitman taken May 14, 1941 by photographer,
Johan Hagemeyer during his sojourn in Carmel.

Source: Popular Astronomy 1936 (vol. 44) p.157

1Catalog of officers and graduates of Yale University 1913-14; 1914-15; Catalog of officers and graduates of Yale University 1701-1915; Alumni Directory of Yale University Graduates and non-graduates 1920.
2 Charles is buried in Fairmount Cemetery, Denver.