Charles Horne Wittenoom was born on December 6, 1879, in Geraldton, Western Australia, into a prominent local family. He was the son of Sir Edward Wittenoom, a squatter and station agent, and the nephew of Frank Wittenoom. After completing his early education at Perth's High School (now Hale School), Wittenoom traveled to England to pursue higher education at Malvern College and the Royal School of Mines in London. Upon returning to Western Australia, he entered the mining and pastoral industries, managing the Central and West Boulder Mines in Kalgoorlie and later acquiring the Muralgarra Station at Yalgoo by 1909.
In the early 1920s, Wittenoom relocated to Albany, Western Australia, where he became a significant local figure through property investments, hotel ownership, and his role as director of the WA Woollen Mills. His entry into public service began with his election as the mayor of Albany Municipal Council, a position he held from 1923 to 1931, and again from 1940 to 1952. His political career expanded to the state level in May 1928 when he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council representing the South-East Province, a seat he held for twelve years until his defeat in 1940.
Wittenoom was married twice, first to Bessie Sholl in 1909, with whom he had three children before her death in 1919, and later to Constance Patricia Hanrahan in 1923, with whom he had three more children. In his later years, Wittenoom retired to the Perth suburb of Claremont. He died on September 18, 1969, at the age of 89, and was interred at Karrakatta Cemetery.