Christine Todd Whitman

Birth Name: Christine Temple Todd

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: September 26, 1946

Ethnicity: English, smaller amounts of Scottish, Welsh, Dutch/Frisian, and Cornish, distant French Huguenot, remote German and Swedish

Christine Todd Whitman is an American politician and author. She has been Co-Chair of the Forward Party, since July 28, 2022. As a Republican, she was President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, from February 10, 1988 to January 16, 1990, Governor of New Jersey, from January 18, 1994 to January 31, 2001, and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from January 31, 2001 to June 27, 2003.

Christine is the daughter of Eleanor Prentice “Nellie” (Schley) and Webster B. Todd (Webster Bray Todd), a businessperson and building contractor, who worked on Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, among other projects. Her parents were involved in Republican Party politics, and her father was Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, from 1961 to 1969, and again, from 1974 to 1976. She is from an upper-class “WASP” family, and was raised on her family’s farm, Pontefract, in the wealthy town of Oldwick, New Jersey.

Christine was married to businessperson and investment banker John Whitman, until his death. The couple has two children.

Christine’s paternal grandfather was John Reynard Todd (the son of The Rev. James Doeg Todd and Susan Webster). John was born in Johnstown Center, Wisconsin, and was an attorney; he served as president of the Todd, Robertson, Todd Construction and Engineering firm, and was active in Republican politics. The Rev. James was a Presbyterian minister.

Christine’s paternal grandmother was Alice Peck Bray (the daughter of The Rev. William Louis Bray and Emily Ann Temple). Alice was born in Aurora, Illinois. The Rev. William was born in Cornwall, England, the son of Deacon William Bray and Jenney Rundle.

Christine’s maternal grandfather was Reeve Schley (the son of William Timlow Schley and Mary Antoinette Reeve). Reeve was born in Canandaigua, New York, and was a banker, who was Vice President of New York’s Chase Manhattan Bank; and a government administrator. William was the son of Evander Schley and Olive Higby. Mary Antoinette was the daughter of Brevet Brigadier General Isaac Van Duzer Reeve and Elizabeth Mann Shepard.

Christine’s maternal grandmother was Kate deForest/de Forest Prentice (the daughter of William Satterlee/Saterlee Packer Prentice and Ella Crawford Sheldon). Kate was born in Brooklyn, New York. William was the son of John Hill Prentice, who was from New Hampshire, and of Sarah Nichols Davis. Ella was the daughter of William Crawford Sheldon and Mary Eliza DeForest.

Sources: Genealogy of Christine Todd Whitman – https://www.geni.com

Genealogies of Christine’s parents – https://www.findagrave.com