William Whitman dies; diplomat, writer revealed hidden D.C.

William B. Whitman, 73, a diplomat and travel writer whose guide to the District's hidden corners is in its fifth edition, died of major organ failure Oct. 30 at Sibley Memorial Hospital. He was a Washington resident.

Mr. Whitman spent much of his life as a member of the Foreign Service, serving in Italy, Bolivia and southeastern Europe. His first freelance travel article was published in the New York Times as he stepped off the plane from Italy in 1987. He spent several more years working as a diplomat during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and the subsequent Balkan wars before turning to writing full time.

During the war years, he "experienced adrenaline-filled airlifts into wartime Sarajevo," his friends said, and worked in a crypto-U.S. consulate in wartime Dubrovnik. He also worked a tour in Skopje, Macedonia, as head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, holding the title of ambassador. As a special assistant to former secretary of state Cyrus Vance, Mr. Whitman worked on the International Commission on Missing Persons, locating thousands of people who had been missing, and massacred, during the Balkans War.

His 2001 guidebook, "Washington, D.C.: Off the Beaten Path," "weaves an engaging narrative of Washington's historic neighborhoods with plenty of little-known facts and lively commentary on the contemporary scene," a Washington Post article said.

He was born William Ballin Whitman Nov. 28, 1935, in East Orange, N.J. He graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., in 1957 and shortly thereafter joined the State Department. His overseas postings, in addition to those previously mentioned, included Burkina Faso, Germany, Mexico, Madagascar and Niger.

Mr. Whitman was minister counselor for economic affairs in the U.S. Embassy in Rome when his first article, on a railroad in Umbria, was published. It was quickly followed by more than 200 others, focusing on luxury travel and ecotourism, which appeared in major newspapers and magazines. He was the author of two additional guidebooks, "Literary Cities of Italy" (1990) and "Virginia Wine Country" (1997). He also wrote "The Quotable Politician" (2003).

Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Cameron Whitman of Washington; and a daughter, Ellis Whitman of New York.

-- Patricia Sullivan