Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts on July 20, 1864, William Fairfield Whiting was the son of a prominent Massachusetts political leader. Whiting became active in Republican Party politics and served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1924 and 1928.

President Calvin Coolidge appointed Whiting to succeed Herbert Hoover as secretary of commerce in 1928. He served until the end of Coolidge’s term in 1929. Whiting died on August 31, 1936.