Widener family

Widener family

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.

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:
* George Dunton Widener (1861-1912)
* Joseph E. Widener (1871-1943)
* Harry Elkins Widener (1885-1912)
* George D. Widener, Jr. (1889-1971)
* Peter A. B. Widener II (1895-1948)
* Gertrude T. Widener (1897-1970)
* Josephine P. Widener (1902-1961)
* Peter A. B. Widener III (1925-1999)
* Ella Anne Widener (1928-1986)
* Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. (1923-2006)

Widener related subjects:
* RMS Titanic
* Widener Library
* Widener University
* Widener School for Crippled Children
* New Bolton Center at Widener Hospital
* National Gallery of Art
* Lynnewood Hall
* National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
* Elmendorf Farm
* Happy Hill Farm
* Belmont Park
* Hialeah Park Race Track
* Widener Handicap

References

* "Without Drums" by Peter A. B. Widener II, G. P. Putnam's Sons (1940)
* [http://www.nga.gov/ National Gallery of Art web site]
* [http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/ Encyclopedia-Titanica.org]
* Temple University Archives


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Widener University — Infobox University name = Widener University motto = Mens Sana In Corpore Sano ( Sound Mind in Sound Body ) established = 1821, Preparatory school 1862, College type = Private endowment = $85.8 million [… …   Wikipedia

  • 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… …   Wikipedia

  • Widener University School of Law — Established 1971 School type Private Parent endowment $58,431,563 Dean Linda L. Ammons Location Wilmington, Delaware Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, US Enrollment …   Wikipedia

  • Widener, George D. — ▪ American racehorse owner born Mar. 11, 1889, Philadelphia died Dec. 8, 1971, Chestnut Hill, Pa., U.S.       U.S. financier, breeder, owner and racer of Thoroughbred horses.       Scion of a wealthy Philadelphia family, Widener was educated… …   Universalium

  • Widener, Arkansas — Infobox Settlement official name = Widener, Arkansas settlement type = Town imagesize = image caption = image mapsize = 250px map caption = Location in St. Francis County and the state of Arkansas mapsize1 = map caption1 = subdivision type =… …   Wikipedia

  • Harry Elkins Widener — (January 3, 1885 April 15, 1912) was a businessman and book collector from the United States. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of George Dunton Widener (1861 1912) and Eleanor Elkins Widener and the grandson of the extremely… …   Wikipedia

  • George D. Widener, Jr. — Infobox Person name = George D. Widener, Jr. imagesize = caption = birth date = birth date|1889|3|11 birth place = New York City, New York United States flagicon|USA death date = death date and age|1971|12|8|1889|3|11|mf=y death place =… …   Wikipedia

  • Peter Arrell Brown Widener — (November 13, 1834 November 6, 1915) was an American businessman and head of the prominent Widener family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. BiographyA merchant who supplied meat to the Union Army during the United States Civil War, Widener grew to… …   Wikipedia

  • Joseph E. Widener — Infobox Person name = Joseph Early Widener imagesize = caption = birth date = birth date|1871|8|19 birth place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States flagicon|USA death date = death date and age|1943|10|26|1871|8|19|mf=y death place = Elkins… …   Wikipedia

  • George Dunton Widener — (June 16, 1861 April 15, 1912) was an American businessman who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic . Born in Philadelphia, he was the eldest son of Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836 1896) and the extremely wealthy entrepreneur Peter A. B. Widener… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”