Whitney, Texas
Town in the United States in Hill County
About Whitney
Whitney is a city in Hill County, Texas, United States. Its population was 1,992 at the 2020 census.
The city is 3 miles (5 km) east of Lake Whitney.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Whitney is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Whitney
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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Population over time
From 459 in 2000 to 1,992 in 2020 (+334.0%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,992 |
| 2010 | 2,087 |
| 2000 | 459 |
History
Whitney was established in 1876 when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad (H&TC) built a line through Hill County to Cleburne. The town's namesake comes from Charles A. Whitney, principal stock holder of H&TC, and son-in-law of Charles Morgan.
Battle of the Benches
In 1922, D. ("Doctor Dee") Scarborough, the druggist of Whitney, installed a bench outside of his store. Within a short period of time, the bench became home to the local old men seeking refuge from the sun and women; comfortably installed on its well-worn planks, they whittled, spat tobacco juice on the sidewalks, studied the weather and damned the modern world with lordliness and venom.
In the following years after World War II, Whitney began to modernize. The town's housewives absorbed the spirit of change and called on the young Mayor Fred Basham to remove the bench, complaining about the spitting and language of the old men. The mayor complied and had the chief of police move the bench into an alley nearby. Upon the discovery their sanctuary was ignominiously lugged into a nearby alley, the old men of the town angrily threw a petition to asking for the bench to be placed back.
When the town ignored the old men, they dragged nail kegs to the spot where the bench had originally reposed. The chief of police threatened to confiscate the nail kegs. That was more than the old men could take. They demanded, and finally received a special municipal election to decide whether the bench should be restored.
On July 30, 1949, the women and mayor were defeated by a vote of 124 to 67 in favor of returning the bench.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.