She was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of William C. Whitney and Flora (Payne) Whitney. Her father was corporation counsel for New York City from 1875 to 1882, United States Secretary of the Navy from 1885 to 1889, and a force in street-railway affairs until his retirement in 1902.
Pauline Whitney had her social debut in 1892. The marriage was solemnized at Saint Thomas"s Church, New York City, and among those attending it was President Grover Cleveland. With Paget she had two daughters, Olive Cecilia (1899-1974, married three times and later owner of Leeds Castle) and Dorothy Wyndham (1905-1960, never married), but the marriage was not entirely happy.
Her husband joined Henry Melville Whitney in establishing the Dominion Coal Company Limited. in 1893 and the Dominion Iron and Steel Company, Limited. in 1901 at Sydney, Nova Scotia.
The Pagets moved to England in 1901, ostensibly because of Pauline"s ill health. Paget was elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom as the Unionist party candidate for Cambridge, serving from 1910 to 1917.
Pauline Paget died after a three weeks" illness at Esher, Surrey, on November 22, 1916, at the age of forty-two. She was buried at Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire.
