Harry Elkins Widener
Encyclopedia
Harry Elkins Widener was a businessman and book collector from the United States
.
, he was the son of George Dunton Widener
(1861–1912) and Eleanor Elkins Widener, and the grandson of the extremely wealthy entrepreneur, Peter A. B. Widener (1834–1915).
Along with his father and mother, in April 1912 Harry Elkins Widener boarded the RMS Titanic at Cherbourg, France
bound for New York City
. After the ship struck an iceberg
, his father placed his mother and her maid in a lifeboat; the women were eventually rescued by the steamship Carpathia
. Harry Elkins Widener and his father 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.
He was a graduate of The Hill School
in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where two buildings are dedicated to him. Widener was a 1907 graduate of Harvard College
, where he was a member of the Owl Club. His widowed mother built the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library
, the largest university library in the world, in his memory. Designed by Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer
, it opened on Commencement Day 1915.
Widener University
in Chester, Pennsylvania
is also named after the prominent Widener family
.
pass a swim test, which is still enforced today. Later classes also attribute the daily availability of ice cream in the dining halls to Harry's fondness for this dessert, but this is also false.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, he was the son of George Dunton Widener
George Dunton Widener
George Dunton Widener was an American businessman who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.-Biography:...
(1861–1912) and Eleanor Elkins Widener, and the grandson of the extremely wealthy entrepreneur, Peter A. B. Widener (1834–1915).
Along with his father and mother, in April 1912 Harry Elkins Widener boarded the RMS Titanic at Cherbourg, 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...
bound for New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. 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...
, his father placed his mother and her maid in a lifeboat; the women were eventually rescued by the steamship 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...
. Harry Elkins Widener and his father 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.
The Hill School
The Hill School is a preparatory boarding school for boys and girls located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia....
in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where two buildings are dedicated to him. Widener was a 1907 graduate of Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, where he was a member of the Owl Club. His widowed mother built 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...
, the largest university library in the world, in his memory. Designed by Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer
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...
, it opened on Commencement Day 1915.
Widener University
Widener University
Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia...
in Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
is also named after the prominent Widener family
Widener family
The American Widener family of Peter Arrell Brown Widener and his wife Hannah Josephine Dunton were from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and were one of the wealthiest families in the United States...
.
Legacy in popular culture
A popular but unfounded urban legend states that the former requirement that Harvard students pass a swim test in order to graduate was based on his mother's stipulation in her bequest. His mother requested that students entering the prestigious boarding school, The Hill SchoolThe Hill School
The Hill School is a preparatory boarding school for boys and girls located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia....
pass a swim test, which is still enforced today. Later classes also attribute the daily availability of ice cream in the dining halls to Harry's fondness for this dessert, but this is also false.
External links
- Henry Elikins Widener Collection at Houghton Library, Harvard University
- http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/317/Encyclopedia TitanicaEncyclopedia TitanicaEncyclopedia Titanica is an online reference work containing extensive and constantly-updated information on the . The website, a nonprofit endeavor, is a database of passenger and crew biographies, deck plans, and articles submitted by historians or Titanic enthusiasts...
Biography of Harry Elkins Widener] - 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