22歳の時、ウィッティアはマサチューセッツ州ボストンで「American Manufacturer」の編集者になった。1830年には「Haverhill Gazette」と「New England Weekly Review」(コネチカット州ハートフォード)の編集を始めた。1835年、マサチューセッツ州議会議員に選出された。1847～59年には、ワシントンDCで「The National Era」のために執筆した。彼は反奴隷制運動に影響力を持ち、アメリカ反奴隷制協会(American Anti-Slavery Society)の幹事を務めた。ペンシルベニア州フィラデルフィアに引っ越すと「Pennsylvania Freeman」の編集にあたった。彼と見解を異にする暴徒が襲撃してきたことが何度かあった。彼は約100の讃美歌詩を作り、アメリカの「クエーカー詩人(Quaker poet)」として有名であった。
作品を含む出版物： Voices of Freedom, 1833 Ballads and Other Poems (London: 1844) Songs of Labour, and Other Poems, 1850 The Panorama, and Other Poems, 1856 Poetical Works, 1869 Complete Poetical Works, 1876 The Bay of Seven Islands, and Other Poems, 1893
作詞作品： All as God Wills All Things Are Thine Blest Land of Judea Dear Lord and Father of Mankind God Giveth Quietness at Last Green Earth Sends Its Incense Up, The Harp at Nature’s Advent Strung, The Hast Thou, ’Midst Life’s Empty Noises I Ask Not Now for Gold to Gild I Bow My Forehead to the Dust I Long for Household Voices Gone I Know Not What the Future Hath Immortal Love, Forever Full It May Not Be Our Lot May Freedom Speed Onward, Wherever the Blood Now Is the Seed Time O Backward Looking Son of Time O Beauty, Old Yet Ever New O Brother Man O Fairest Born of Love and Light O He Whom Jesus Loved O Holy Father, Just and True O Lord and Master of Us All O Love! O Life! O Maker of the Fruits and Flowers O Not Alone with Outward Sign O Pure Reformers, Not in Vain O Sometimes Gleams upon Our Sight O Thou, at Whose Rebuke the Grave O Thou, Whose Presence Went Before O, What Thou Our Feet May Not Tread Our Fathers’ God, from Out Whose Hand Our Friend, Our Brother, and Our Lord Our Thought of Thee Is Glad with Hope Path of Life We Walk Today, The Shall We Grow Weary in Our Watch? So to the Calmly Gathered Thought Sound over All Waters Sport of the Changeful Multitude Thine Are All the Gifts, O God Thy Grace Impart Thou Hast Fallen in Thine Armor Today, Beneath Thy Chastening Eye We Faintly Hear, We Dimly See We See Not, Know Not We May Not Climb the Heavenly Steeps When on My Day of Life Who Fathoms the Eternal Thought With Silence Only as Their Benediction Within the Maddening Maze of Things
