Alden Whitman

Alden Whitman
1968 photo of Alden Whitman in New York Times newsroom
In The New York Times newsroom (1968)
Born(1913-10-27)October 27, 1913
DiedSeptember 4, 1990(1990-09-04) (aged 76)
Monte Carlo, Monaco
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHarvard University
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • obituarist
  • book reviewer
  • activist
Years active1935–1988
Employers
Known forPioneered the writing of biographical obituaries
Criminal chargesContempt of Congress
Criminal penaltyProbation
Spouses
  • Dorothy McLaughlin
    (m. 1933; div. 1939)
  • Helen Kaposey
    (m. 1939; div. 1960)
  • Joan McCracken
    (m. 1960)
Children4
AwardsGeorge Polk Career Award (1979)

Alden Rogers Whitman (October 27, 1913 – September 4, 1990) was an American journalist who served as chief obituary writer for The New York Times from 1964 to 1976. In that role, he pioneered a more vivid, biographical approach to obituaries, some based on interviews with his subjects in advance of their deaths. Whitman was also the target of a McCarthy-era investigation into communists in the press. Under questioning by the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security in 1956, he acknowledged his affiliation with the Communist Party USA but refused to name other party members. The ensuing eight-year legal battle over contempt of Congress ended with all charges dismissed.