George Dunton Widener
Encyclopedia
George Dunton Widener was an American
businessman who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
George D. Widener joined his father's business and eventually took over the running of the Philadelphia Traction Company, overseeing the development of cable and electric streetcar operations. He also served on the board of directors
of several important area businesses. A patron of the arts, Widener was a Director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1883, he married Eleanor Elkins, the daughter of his father's business partner, William Lukens Elkins
. They had two sons, Harry Elkins Widener
(1885-1912), George Dunton Widener, Jr.
(1889-1971), and a daughter, Eleanor Widener Dixon (1891-1953). The family lived at Lynnewood Hall
, his father's 110-room Georgian-style
mansion in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
.
In 1912, George D. Widener, his wife, and their son Harry traveled to Paris
, France
, with original intentions to find a chef for Widener's new Philadelphia hotel, The Ritz Carlton. The Wideners booked their return passage on RMS Titanic. After the ship struck an iceberg
, Widener placed his wife and her maid in a lifeboat. The women were rescued by the steamship RMS Carpathia
, but George D. Widener and his son Harry both went down with the ship. Their bodies, if recovered, were not identified. A memorial service for them was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
where stained glass
windows were dedicated in their memory. Two weeks after their untimely deaths on the Titanic, Widener's daughter Eleanor married at the family estate in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
.
Shortly before his death, George Widener had commissioned Horace Trumbauer
to design and oversee construction of Miramar
, a 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) French neoclassical-style mansion bordering Bellevue Avenue on Aquidneck Island
at Newport, Rhode Island
. Intended as a summer home, it was still in the design stage at the time of his death.
George D. Widener's widow donated the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library
to Harvard University
in memory of their son. His brother, Joseph E. Widener
, became a founding benefactor of the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C.
His only grandchild, Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr.
(1923-2006), became a noted philanthropist and owner of Philadelphia sports teams.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, he was the eldest son of Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836-1896) and the extremely wealthy streetcar magnate Peter A. B. Widener (1834-1915).George D. Widener joined his father's business and eventually took over the running of the Philadelphia Traction Company, overseeing the development of cable and electric streetcar operations. He also served on the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of several important area businesses. A patron of the arts, Widener was a Director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1883, he married Eleanor Elkins, the daughter of his father's business partner, William Lukens Elkins
William Lukens Elkins
William Lukens Elkins was an American businessman, inventor, and art collector.-Career:Although his father was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William Elkins was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He started his working life at a grocery store in Philadelphia where his family had returned to...
. They had two sons, Harry Elkins Widener
Harry Elkins Widener
Harry Elkins Widener was a businessman and book collector from the United States.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of George Dunton Widener and Eleanor Elkins Widener, and the grandson of the extremely wealthy entrepreneur, Peter A. B...
(1885-1912), George Dunton Widener, Jr.
George D. Widener, Jr.
George Dunton Widener, Jr. was an American businessman and thoroughbred racehorse owner; one of only five people ever designated "Exemplars of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
(1889-1971), and a daughter, Eleanor Widener Dixon (1891-1953). The family lived at Lynnewood Hall
Lynnewood Hall
Lynnewood Hall is a 110-room Neoclassical Revival mansion in Elkins Park, Montgomery County designed by architect Horace Trumbauer for industrialist Peter A. B. Widener between 1897 and 1900...
, his father's 110-room Georgian-style
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
mansion in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the suburbs of Philadelphia, roughly from Center City, Philadelphia.-Points of interest:...
.
In 1912, George D. Widener, his wife, and their son Harry traveled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, with original intentions to find a chef for Widener's new Philadelphia hotel, The Ritz Carlton. The Wideners booked their return passage on RMS Titanic. After the ship struck an iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
, Widener placed his wife and her maid in a lifeboat. The women were rescued by the steamship RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia was a Cunard Line transatlantic passenger steamship built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson. Carpathia made her maiden voyage in 1903 and became famous for rescuing the survivors of after the latter ship hit an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912...
, but George D. Widener and his son Harry both went down with the ship. Their bodies, if recovered, were not identified. A memorial service for them was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the suburbs of Philadelphia, roughly from Center City, Philadelphia.-Points of interest:...
where stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows were dedicated in their memory. Two weeks after their untimely deaths on the Titanic, Widener's daughter Eleanor married at the family estate in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the suburbs of Philadelphia, roughly from Center City, Philadelphia.-Points of interest:...
.
Horace Trumbauer
Horace Trumbauer was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of the campus of Duke University...
to design and oversee construction of Miramar
Miramar (mansion)
Miramar is a French neoclassical-style mansion on bordering Bellevue Avenue on Aquidneck Island at Newport, Rhode Island. Overlooking Rhode Island Sound, it was intended as a summer home for the George D. Widener family of Philadelphia...
, a 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) French neoclassical-style mansion bordering Bellevue Avenue on Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island, located in the state of Rhode Island, is the largest island in Narragansett Bay. The island's official name is Rhode Island, and the common use of name "Aquidneck Island" helps distinguish the island from the state. The total land area is 97.9 km²...
at Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. Intended as a summer home, it was still in the design stage at the time of his death.
George D. Widener's widow donated the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library
Widener Library
The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, commonly known as Widener Library, is the primary building of the library system of Harvard University. Located on the south side of Harvard Yard directly across from Memorial Church, Widener serves as the centerpiece of the 15.6 million-volume Harvard...
to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in memory of their son. His brother, Joseph E. Widener
Joseph E. Widener
Joseph Early Widener was a wealthy American art collector who was a founding benefactor of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C...
, became a founding benefactor of the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
His only grandchild, Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr.
Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr.
Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. was an American educator, sportsman, and philanthropist.-Biography:He was the son of banker Fitz Eugene Dixon, Sr. and his wife Eleanor Widener, a member of the wealthy Philadelphia Widener family. His grandfather, George D. Widener, and uncle, Harry Elkins Widener, had both...
(1923-2006), became a noted philanthropist and owner of Philadelphia sports teams.
Legacy in popular culture
George D. Widener was played by Guy Standing, Jr. in the 1953 film TitanicTitanic (1953 film)
Titanic is a 1953 American drama film directed by Jean Negulesco. Its plot centers on an estranged couple sailing on the maiden voyage of the , which took place in April 1912.-Plot:...
.
External links and references
- Mr George Dunton Widener, Encyclopedia Titanica
- Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, by John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas, W.W. Newton & Company, 2nd edition 1995 ISBN 0-393-03697-9
- A Night to Remember, by Walter Lord, ed. Nathaniel Hilbreck, Owl Books, rep. 2004, ISBN 0-8050-7764-2