Career
He served as Secretary of the Milwaukee County Park Commission from its inception in 1907 until his retirement in 1941. Whitnall was born in Milwaukee on January 21, 1859, the son of a florist. He went into and eventually took over his father’s business, and became active in the floral industry.
He helped organize a National Association of Florists and started the Florist Telegraph Delivery System (FTD) as a retailers" cooperative.