The Whittier family office was one of the first family offices in the United States. It was established in 1935 by Leland, Don, Helen, and Paul Whittier to manage their assets and later their philanthropic efforts. A significant percentage of the Whittier family's fortune was on paper until 1979, when Belridge Oil was sold to
Shell Oil for $3.6 billion. It was the largest corporate acquisition in history at the time. In 1989, Whittier Trust Company was created as a California state-chartered trust company, and began to offer investment, wealth management, fiduciary, family office, and philanthropic services to other families. In 1994, an affiliate company, The Whittier Trust Company of Nevada, Inc. was formed in Reno, Nevada to take advantage of the state's favorable tax and trust laws. As of 2023, Whittier Trust managed assets of more than $20 bn. for more than 140 foundations, donor advised funds, endowments, and 161 charitable entities, and 578
ultra high-net-worth families. with offices in Pasadena, Newport Beach, West Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Menlo Park, California; Reno, Nevada; Seattle, Washington; and Portland Oregon. In a nod to the Whittier family history, it maintains a focus on philanthropy, and remains actively involved in oil, gas, and real estate investments. Later that year, Whittier Trust agreed to pay $1.7 million in damages to settle the insider trader charges. On February 26, 2016, the charges against Whittier Trust were vacated, and the damages were returned upon consent of The Plaintiff, the Securities and Exchange Commission. ==References==