Benson Whitney
Encyclopedia
Benson Kelley Whitney was the United States
Ambassador
to Norway
from 2006 to 2009. He was managing general partner of the Gideon Hixon Fund and former President of the Minnesota Venture Capital Association. He was also chief executive officer of Whitney Management Company. Whitney was the Minnesota Executive Director and Minnesota Finance Chair for the Bush-Cheney
2004 presidential campaign. Whitney has a BA
from Vassar College
in Poughkeepsie, New York
and a JD
from the University of Minnesota Law School
in Minneapolis (1987), graduating as an editor of the Law Review, Order of the Coif
, Magna Cum Laude, and winner of the Amos Deinard Award for Scholarship.
Benson K. Whitney was nominated as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway by President George W. Bush on September 23, 2005. His nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 28, 2005, and he was sworn in by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on November 28, 2005. He presented his credentials to His Majesty King Harald V on January 12, 2006.
Ambassador Whitney’s career has included extensive experience in business, law, and community affairs. Ambassador Whitney practiced law with Popham, Haik, Schnobrich, and Kaufman Ltd. specializing in health care, cable television and other regulated industries as well as election law. He then served as Managing General Partner of the Gideon Hixon Fund, an evergreen venture capital fund focused on early stage technology and health care companies in Minnesota and California. Ambassador Whitney was elected President of the Minnesota Venture Capital Association and advised and managed several other venture funds. He has served as Chief Executive Officer of Whitney Management Company, a private investment advisory firm.
Ambassador Whitney has been involved throughout his life in public affairs and government reform efforts in both professional and volunteer capacities on the local, state and national levels. He served as Minnesota Executive Director and Minnesota Finance Chair for Bush-Cheney ’04, as well as Minnesota Finance Chair for the Republican National Committee.
Ambassador Whitney has been a trustee, director, chairman or advisor of a number of non-profits including the Guthrie Theater, Wilderness Inquiry, Persephone Fund, Headwaters Fund, Minnesotans for Term Limits, and the Minneapolis Academy. He is a member of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis where he has served as a liturgical minister.
Ambassador Whitney and his wife Mary have four children - Cope, David, Lock and Torry.
His father is Minneapolis businessman Wheelock Whitney, Jr..
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Ambassador
Ambassadors from the United States
This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to individual nations of the world, to international organizations, to past nations, and ambassadors-at-large.Ambassadors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate...
to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
from 2006 to 2009. He was managing general partner of the Gideon Hixon Fund and former President of the Minnesota Venture Capital Association. He was also chief executive officer of Whitney Management Company. Whitney was the Minnesota Executive Director and Minnesota Finance Chair for the Bush-Cheney
George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004
This article is about the presidential campaign of George W. Bush, the former President of the United States and winner of the 2004 Presidential Election. See George W. Bush for a detailed biography and information about his full presidency, and George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2000 for a...
2004 presidential campaign. Whitney has a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
in Poughkeepsie, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and a JD
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
in Minneapolis (1987), graduating as an editor of the Law Review, Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
, Magna Cum Laude, and winner of the Amos Deinard Award for Scholarship.
Benson K. Whitney was nominated as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway by President George W. Bush on September 23, 2005. His nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 28, 2005, and he was sworn in by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on November 28, 2005. He presented his credentials to His Majesty King Harald V on January 12, 2006.
Ambassador Whitney’s career has included extensive experience in business, law, and community affairs. Ambassador Whitney practiced law with Popham, Haik, Schnobrich, and Kaufman Ltd. specializing in health care, cable television and other regulated industries as well as election law. He then served as Managing General Partner of the Gideon Hixon Fund, an evergreen venture capital fund focused on early stage technology and health care companies in Minnesota and California. Ambassador Whitney was elected President of the Minnesota Venture Capital Association and advised and managed several other venture funds. He has served as Chief Executive Officer of Whitney Management Company, a private investment advisory firm.
Ambassador Whitney has been involved throughout his life in public affairs and government reform efforts in both professional and volunteer capacities on the local, state and national levels. He served as Minnesota Executive Director and Minnesota Finance Chair for Bush-Cheney ’04, as well as Minnesota Finance Chair for the Republican National Committee.
Ambassador Whitney has been a trustee, director, chairman or advisor of a number of non-profits including the Guthrie Theater, Wilderness Inquiry, Persephone Fund, Headwaters Fund, Minnesotans for Term Limits, and the Minneapolis Academy. He is a member of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis where he has served as a liturgical minister.
Ambassador Whitney and his wife Mary have four children - Cope, David, Lock and Torry.
His father is Minneapolis businessman Wheelock Whitney, Jr..
Sources
- Benson K. Whitney US embassy in Norway bio on Whitney
- United States Department of State: Ambassadors to Norway
- U.S. Embassy Oslo ‐ Public Affairs Newsletter, July 2009