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Eleanor Widener Dixon

1891 – 1966

American socialite and philanthropist

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About Eleanor Widener Dixon

Lived 1891 – 1966 (aged 74–75). Eleanor Widener Dixon was an American.

Eleanor Widener Dixon (April 10, 1891 – February 12, 1966) was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 1891, into the wealthy Widener family as the daughter of George Dunton Widener and Eleanor Elkins Widener.

She married Fitz Eugene Dixon Sr. in 1912. The wedding was held at Lynnewood Hall two months after her father and brother Harry Elkins Widener died in the sinking of the Titanic. They had a daughter, also named Eleanor Widener Dixon, and a son Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. but divorced in 1936.

In 1942, she donated her $350,000 yacht, as the USS Alabaster.

In 1949, she purchased "Homewood", a mansion in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia and again hired Horace Trumbauer to update the residence. In 1969, her son donated the home to Temple University for use as a lodge for attendees of the Albert M. Greenfield Conference Center.

In 1956, she sold the Ronaele estate to the De La Salle Brothers which used it as student housing for La Salle College. In 1973, the estate was sold to developers and demolished in 1974. Several of the interior art features were donated to the La Salle University Art Museum. and in August 1961, Widener donated $50,000 to build the Eleanor Widener Dixon Memorial Clinic in Gouldsboro, Maine. The clinic closed in 2024.

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Important facts

Born
1891
Birth century
Died
1966
Nationality
Also known as
Eleanor Elkins Widener

People in Eleanor Widener Dixon's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Eleanor Widener Dixon's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Eleanor Widener Dixon?

American socialite and philanthropist

When was Eleanor Widener Dixon born?

Eleanor Widener Dixon was born in 1891.

When did Eleanor Widener Dixon die?

Eleanor Widener Dixon died in 1966.

What nationality was Eleanor Widener Dixon?

Eleanor Widener Dixon was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Eleanor Widener Dixon

· Wikidata: Q38464915

· DBpedia: Eleanor Widener Dixon

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Eleanor Widener Dixon. https://biography.guide/eleanor-widener-dixon/

MLA: "Eleanor Widener Dixon." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/eleanor-widener-dixon/.

Chicago: "Eleanor Widener Dixon." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/eleanor-widener-dixon/.

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