Jim Whittaker

Jim Whittaker (1929 to 2026) was an American climber and mountain guide who on 1 May 1963 became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, as a member of the American Mount Everest Expedition led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, together with the Sherpa Nawang Gombu. Born in Seattle, he was the twin brother of the mountain guide Lou Whittaker, and began climbing in the 1940s with lessons from the Mountaineers Club of Seattle. He became the first full-time employee of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) in 1955 and its chief executive in 1971, and in 1965 he guided Robert F. Kennedy up the newly named Mount Kennedy. After his Everest ascent he was invited to the White House by President John F. Kennedy.