Draft:Jessie Whitehead

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Jessie Marie Whitehead (February 23, 1894 – July 1, 1980) was a British linguist and mountaineer from the 1920s through her death in 1980.

Early Life
Whitehead was one of the three children of Alfred North Whitehead, his only daughter. Due to her father’s position in the philosophical community, Whitehead grew up among powerful, intellectual families. She was noted for her intelligence, despite speaking with a stutter.

Education and Career
Whitehead began studying for her university degree at Newnham College in 1913, but halted her studies to serve in the British Foreign Service during World War I. She did not return to complete her degree. Nevertheless, she became a scholar in ancient Arabic languages and began working as a cataloger at Harvard’s Widener Library in the summer of 1925.

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)
Whitehead joined the Appalachian Mountain Club, becoming a serious hiker and a pioneer of “manless climbing,” all-women hiking excursions, a movement created and promoted by Miriam O'Brien Underhill, Whitehead's occasional hiking partner. She was part of the four-person group that made the first ascent of the pinnacle in Huntington Ravine. In January 1933, on a climb of the Odell Gully with Walter Sturges during which the pair were cutting a path over a frozen cliff face, Sturges fell trying to remove a piton, and Jessie was pulled down with him. She fell 800 feet, breaking her neck, shoulder, and jaw, and spent 136 days in the hospital. She began hiking again two months after discharge.

Personal Life and Activism
Whitehead was noted for her eccentric personality. She was often accompanied by her cockatiels, including in local restaurants like the Hayes-Bickford restaurant on Harvard Square, and was a regular pipe smoker. She was also heavily involved in what would today be called Boston’s queer community. Along with Prescott Townsend, Whitehead hosted public poetry readings at the Charles Street Meeting House. Regular performers included famous poets such as Rene Ricard. Whitehead was also close friends with Gertrude Stein and her partner, Alice B. Toklas. Their, friendship is preserved in archived letters held at Yale University.

Death and Legacy
Whitehead died on July 1, 1980. She was 86 years old. Whitehead’s funeral service was held at the Appleton Chapel of Harvard’s Memorial Church, where her father’s ashes were spread at his death. Whitehead is buried at the Memorial Grounds of the Mount Auburn Cemetery.