Peter Arrell Brown Widener
Encyclopedia
Peter Arrell Brown Widener (November 13, 1834 – November 6, 1915) was an American
businessman and head of the prominent Widener family
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
during the United States Civil War, Widener grew to prominence in the city and by 1873 had become Philadelphia City Treasurer. In 1883, he became very successful as a result of his investing in trolley cars and public transit systems as a founding partner of Philadelphia Traction Company, which expanded to other major cities in the United States. He and his Philadelphia business partner William L. Elkins
invested in public transit systems in other major cities with businessmen such as Charles Tyson Yerkes, the streetcar czar of Chicago
. Widener used the great wealth accumulated from that business to become a founding organizer of U.S. Steel
and the American Tobacco Company
as well as a having substantial holdings in Standard Oil
. He is considered to have been one of the 100 wealthiest Americans, having left an enormous fortune.
Peter A. B. Widener married Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836–1896), and they had three sons: Harry, George
and Joseph
. In 1887 he built an ornate Philadelphia mansion at the northwest corner of Broad Street and Girard Avenue, although he vacated it 13 years later and donated it to the Free Library of Philadelphia
as a memorial to his late wife. In 1900 he completed Lynnewood Hall
in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
, a 110-room Georgian-style
mansion designed by Horace Trumbauer
. Widener was an avid art collector, with a collection that included more than a dozen paintings by Rembrandt as well as works by then-new artists Edouard Manet
and Auguste Renoir.
Widener's son, George Dunton Widener
, and grandson, Harry Elkins Widener
, died when they went down with the RMS Titanic.
Widener died at Lynnewood Hall at the age of 80 on November 6, 1915, after prolonged poor health.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and head of the prominent Widener family
Widener family
The American Widener family of Peter Arrell Brown Widener and his wife Hannah Josephine Dunton were from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and were one of the wealthiest families in the United States...
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
Biography
A merchant who supplied meat to the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the United States Civil War, Widener grew to prominence in the city and by 1873 had become Philadelphia City Treasurer. In 1883, he became very successful as a result of his investing in trolley cars and public transit systems as a founding partner of Philadelphia Traction Company, which expanded to other major cities in the United States. He and his Philadelphia business partner William L. Elkins
William Lukens Elkins
William Lukens Elkins was an American businessman, inventor, and art collector.-Career:Although his father was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William Elkins was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He started his working life at a grocery store in Philadelphia where his family had returned to...
invested in public transit systems in other major cities with businessmen such as Charles Tyson Yerkes, the streetcar czar of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Widener 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...
as well as a having substantial holdings in Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
. He is considered to have been one of the 100 wealthiest Americans, having left an enormous fortune.
Peter A. B. Widener married Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836–1896), and they had three sons: Harry, George
George Dunton Widener
George Dunton Widener was an American businessman who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.-Biography:...
and Joseph
Joseph E. Widener
Joseph Early Widener was a wealthy American art collector who was a founding benefactor of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C...
. In 1887 he built an ornate Philadelphia mansion at the northwest corner of Broad Street and Girard Avenue, although he vacated it 13 years later and donated it to the Free Library of Philadelphia
Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:History of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Initiated by the efforts of Dr...
as a memorial to his late wife. In 1900 he completed 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...
. Widener was an avid art collector, with a collection that included more than a dozen paintings by Rembrandt as well as works by then-new artists Edouard Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
and Auguste Renoir.
Widener's son, George Dunton Widener
George Dunton Widener
George Dunton Widener was an American businessman who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.-Biography:...
, and grandson, Harry Elkins Widener
Harry Elkins Widener
Harry 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...
, died when they went down with the RMS Titanic.
Widener died at Lynnewood Hall at the age of 80 on November 6, 1915, after prolonged poor health.
See also
- Rhône (The) v. Peter A.B. Widener (The)Rhône (The) v. Peter A.B. Widener (The)Rhône v. Peter A.B. Widener [1993] 1 S.C.R. 497 is a Supreme Court of Canada decision on the "directing mind" principle of corporate liability...
(a barge named after Widener was involved in a collision in Canada, which became a noted court case) - Widener UniversityWidener UniversityWidener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia...
External links
- Article on Widener and Widener Mansion in Philadelphia, PhillyHistory.org.