Jim Whittaker

Biography

James Warren Whittaker was an American climber and mountain guide, born on February 10, 1929, in Seattle, Washington. He made history on May 1, 1963, as the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest as part of the American Mount Everest Expedition led by Norman Dyhrenfurth. Whittaker's mountaineering career spanned several decades, during which he also worked as a Special Forces instructor, teaching soldiers skiing and mountaineering skills.