George Dunton Widener
| George Dunton Widener | |
|---|---|
George D. Widener
|
|
| Born |
June 16, 1861 Philadelphia |
| Died | April 15, 1912 (aged 50) RMS Titanic |
| Cause of death | Drowning |
| Resting place |
North Atlantic Ocean Coordinates: 41°43′55″N 49°56′45″W / 41.73194°N 49.94583°W |
| Residence | Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Board member of | Philadelphia Traction Co., Land Title Bank and Trust Co., Electric Storage Battery Co., Portland Cement Co., Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts |
| Spouse(s) | Eleanor Elkins |
| Children |
Harry Elkins (1885-1912) George Dunton Jr. (1889-1971) Eleanor (1891-1953), married Fitz Eugene Dixon, 1912 |
| Parent(s) |
Peter A. B. Widener Hannah Josephine Dunton |
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, Widener was the eldest son of Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836-1896) and the extremely wealthy streetcar magnate Peter A. B. Widener (1834-1915).
He 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).
In 1912, 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 Widener and his son Harry perished on the Titanic. 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 Fitz Eugene Dixon at the family estate in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.
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