Widener family
Encyclopedia
The American
Widener family of Peter Arrell Brown Widener
(1834-1915) and his wife Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836-1896) were from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and were one of the wealthiest families in the United States. In 1883 Widener was part of the founding partnership of the Philadelphia Traction Company and used the great wealth accumulated from that business to become a founding organizer of U.S. Steel
and the American Tobacco Company
.
The legacy of Peter and Hannah Widener includes the Widener Library
at Harvard University
but even more important was the implanting of a social conscience in their children that has been passed down from generation to generation. While the family fortune dwindled over time through enormous estate taxes
and the natural division and redivision by inheritors, many of their 21st century descendants continue to be involved in charitable works. Widener University
in Chester, PA is named after the Wideners due to a very large contribution the family made when the college was transitioning from an all-male military college to a co-educational civilian university.
Peter and Hannah Widener built Lynnewood Hall
in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
, a 110-room Georgian-style
mansion designed by Horace Trumbauer
where they assembled one of the most valuable art
collections in the country. Left a vast fortune, their offspring became one of the most prominent in American Thoroughbred horse racing
history as well as a founding benefactor of the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C.
, Widener University
and the Widener School for Crippled Children.
The descendants of Peter Arrell Brown Widener and Hannah Josephine Dunton include:
Widener related subjects:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Widener family of Peter Arrell Brown Widener
Peter Arrell Brown Widener
Peter Arrell Brown Widener was an American businessman and head of the prominent Widener family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Biography:...
(1834-1915) and his wife Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836-1896) were from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and were one of the wealthiest families in the United States. In 1883 Widener was part of the founding partnership of the Philadelphia Traction Company and used the great wealth accumulated from that business to become a founding organizer of U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
and the American Tobacco Company
American Tobacco Company
The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...
.
The legacy of Peter and Hannah Widener includes the Widener 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...
at 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...
but even more important was the implanting of a social conscience in their children that has been passed down from generation to generation. While the family fortune dwindled over time through enormous estate taxes
Estate tax in the United States
The estate tax in the United States is a tax imposed on the transfer of the "taxable estate" of a deceased person, whether such property is transferred via a will, according to the state laws of intestacy or otherwise made as an incident of the death of the owner, such as a transfer of property...
and the natural division and redivision by inheritors, many of their 21st century descendants continue to be involved in charitable works. 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, PA is named after the Wideners due to a very large contribution the family made when the college was transitioning from an all-male military college to a co-educational civilian university.
Peter and Hannah Widener built 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...
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:...
, a 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 designed by 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...
where they assembled one of the most valuable art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
collections in the country. Left a vast fortune, their offspring became one of the most prominent in American Thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
history as well as 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....
, 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...
and the Widener School for Crippled Children.
The descendants of Peter Arrell Brown Widener and Hannah Josephine Dunton include:
- George Dunton WidenerGeorge Dunton WidenerGeorge Dunton Widener was an American businessman who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.-Biography:...
(1861-1912) - Joseph E. WidenerJoseph E. WidenerJoseph Early Widener was a wealthy American art collector who was a founding benefactor of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C...
(1871-1943) - Harry Elkins WidenerHarry Elkins WidenerHarry 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 D. 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) - Peter A. B. Widener II (1895-1948)
- Gertrude T. WidenerGertrude T. WidenerGertrude T. Douglas Widener was an American socialite and a successful Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. Born in Albany, New York, she was the daughter of New York State Senator, Curtis N...
(1897-1970) - Josephine P. Widener (1902-1961)
- Peter A. B. Widener III (1925-1999)
- Ella Anne Widener (1928-1986)
- 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)
Widener related subjects:
- RMS Titanic
- Widener LibraryWidener LibraryThe 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...
- Widener UniversityWidener UniversityWidener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia...
- Widener School for Crippled Children
- New Bolton Center at Widener HospitalNew Bolton CenterThe University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s 700 acre New Bolton Center campus in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is home to one of the busiest large animal teaching veterinary clinics in the nation. Founded in 1964 with contributions from equestrienne Esther du Pont Thouron and...
- National Gallery of ArtNational Gallery of ArtThe 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...
- Lynnewood HallLynnewood HallLynnewood 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...
- National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameNational Museum of Racing and Hall of FameThe National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
- Elmendorf FarmElmendorf FarmElmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, and has been involved with horse racing since the early 19th century...
- Happy Hill FarmHappy Hill FarmHappy Hill Farm is a Thoroughbred horse racing operation in Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It was originally owned by Cortright Wetherill and his wife Ella A...
- Belmont ParkBelmont ParkBelmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
- Tyler School of ArtTyler School of ArtThe Stella Elkins Tyler School of Art, usually just referred to as Tyler School of Art is Temple University's school of art, which confers BFA and MFA degrees. The school was originally founded by sculptors Stella Elkins Tyler and Boris Blai on a separate 14-acre estate in Elkins Park...
- Hialeah Park Race TrackHialeah Park Race TrackThe Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic site in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
- Cotillion HandicapCotillion HandicapThe F. Eugene Dixon, Jr. Cotillion Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Parx Racing and Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Since 2010, it has been raced on the first Saturday in October as a prelude to the annual Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships...
- Widener HandicapWidener HandicapThe Widener Handicap at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida was a Grade III stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses 3-years-old and up. It was run over a distance of 1¼ miles until 1993 when it was modified to 1 1/8 miles. Initially called the Widener Challenge Cup Handicap, the race was...