Eleanor Elkins Widener

Eleanor Elkins Widener (September 21, 1861 - July 13, 1937) née Eleanore Elkins, also known as Eleanor Elkins Widener Rice was an American heiress, socialite, philanthropist, and adventuress. She was the daughter of wealthy businessman William Lukens Elkins and married George Dunton Widener, the son of wealthy businessman Peter Arrell Browne Widener. She survived the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic but George and their son, Harry, did not. She renovated St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, as a memorial to George and donated $2 million to Harvard University to build the Widener Library as a memorial to Harry.

Widener remarried, to Harvard professor Alexander Hamilton Rice. She funded his research and accompanied him on a number of expeditions in South America, Europe and India. After her death, her grandson, Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr., had Penn Morton College in Chester, Pennsylvania, renamed Widener College in her honor.

Early life Widener was born September 21, 1861

They lived in the 110-room mansion, Lynnewood Hall, in Elkins Park. Their children were Harry Elkins Widener, George Dunton Widener Jr., and Eleanor Widener Dixon.

Titanic survival and memorials In March 1912, Widener traveled with George and Harry on the RMS Mauretania from New York to Liverpool, England. The trip was to ensure the safe arrival of 30 silver plates once owned by Nell Gwyn being donated to the London Museum. They subsequently traveled to Paris to purchase a wedding dress for Eleanor's upcoming marriage and search for a chef for their new hotel, the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia.

On April 10 they embarked at Cherbourg on the RMS Titanic for their return to the United States. She traveled with a pearl necklace valued at $750,000. On the night the ship sank, they hosted a dinner in the À la Carte Restaurant attended by Captain Edward Smith, Archibald Butt, and John B. Thayer. survived in Lifeboat 4 along with first-class female passengers Madeleine Astor, Emily Ryerson, and Marian Thayer. They were rescued by the RMS Carpathia after about 2 hours. the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library to Harvard University. Harry was a collector of rare and valuable books and had graduated from Harvard College in 1907. She asked Luther S. Livingston to be the first librarian of the Harry Elkins Widener Collection in the library. She gave a $300,000 science building to The Hill School, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where Harry had graduated in 1903. In October 1915, she married him in a ceremony led by Bishop William Lawrence. They lived together at Miramar, a 30,000 square-foot mansion in Rhode Island.

Widener and her second husband lived in the 30,000 square-foot Miramar mansion in Rhode Island. Widener used her fortune to fund Rice's field work Widener died of a heart attack in the Widener family mausoleum. Her crypt makes no mention of her Titanic survival, however, the cenotaphs to George and Harry in the same mausoleum mention the sinking.

Widener's grandson, Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr., requested that Penn Morton College in Chester, Pennsylvania, be renamed Widener College in honor of her.

Portrayals Diana Kent (2012) Titanic; TV series