Myrtle Viola Whitney was born in Oakfield, Wisconsin, on December 12th, 1869. After graduating from high school she attended Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, where her family lived, and in 1890 transferred to Northwestern University's College of Liberal Arts. While a student at Northwestern, Whitney became an active member in the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She graduated with a B.A. degree from Northwestern in 1891. Whitney pursued a career as a Latin instructor, finding teaching jobs at Sedalia High School in Missouri and Platteville Normal School in Wisconsin. She is believed to have married Charles Washburn, a lawyer and former classmate of Whitney's at Ripon. Little else is known about her.
From the guide to the Myrtle Whitney Papers, 1890-1892, (Northwestern University Archives)
