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{{Short description|American heiress (c.1861–1937)}}
{{bots|deny=Yobot,Menobot,BG19bot,AWB}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox person
{{Use American English|date=November 2017}}
| name = Eleanor Elkins Widener

| image = ]
{{Infobox person
| caption =
| name = Eleanor Elkins Widener
| birth_date = September{{nbsp}}21, 1861{{r|titanica_eleanor_widener}} ''or'' May{{nbsp}}21, 1862{{r|tittit}}
| image = Eleanor Elkins Widener.jpg
| birth_name = Eleanore<!--<<yes with an /e/--> Elkins{{refn|group=upper-alpha|name=eleanore}}
| caption =
| birth_place = ]{{r|american_kennel_club}}
| birth_date = September 21, 1861{{r|titanica_eleanor_widener}} ''or'' May 21, 1862{{r|tittit}}
| death_date = {{Death date|1937|07|13}} (aged 75)
| birth_name = Eleanore<!--<<yes with an /e/--> Elkins{{NoteTag|name=eleanore}}
| death_place = ]
| birth_place = ]{{r|american_kennel_club}}
| death_cause = Heart attack<!-- check -- titanic-titanic says embolism; see death certificate there -->
| death_date = {{Death date|1937|07|13}} (aged 75)
| resting_place = ], Philadelphia{{r|tittit}}
| death_place = ]
| resting_place = ], Philadelphia{{r|tittit}}
| resting_place_coordinates = | resting_place_coordinates =
| education =
| residence = ], ] <!--and more-->
| known_for = Gift of ] at ]
| education =
| party =
| known_for = Gift of ]
| spouse = {{plainlist|
| party =
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
}} }}
| children = {{plainlist| | children = {{plainlist|
* ] (1885{{ndash}}1912) * ] (1885{{ndash}}1912)
* ] (1889{{ndash}}1971) * {{nowrap|] (1889{{ndash}}1971)}}
* {{nowrap|] (1891{{ndash}}1966){{refn|name=dixon|{{cite news |work = The New York Times |date = January 14, 1966 |page = 39 |title = Mrs. Widener Dixon, Philanthropist, 74 <!--no author--> }}}} }}
* Eleanor Widener Dixon (1891{{ndash}}1953)
}} }}
| parents = {{plainlist| | parents = {{plainlist|
* ] * ]
* Maria Louise (Broomall) Widener * Maria Louise Broomall
}} }}
| signature = Eleanor Elkins Widener SignatureToAbbotLawrenceLowell 1912.png
| boards =
| signature_size = 220px
| signature = Eleanor Elkins Widener SignatureToAbbotLawrenceLowell 1912.png
| signature_size=210px
| religion = ]
| box_width = 28em
}} }}


'''Eleanor Elkins Widener''', née Eleanore<!--<<yes with an /e/--> Elkins{{refn|group=upper-alpha|name=eleanore}} (later known as '''Eleanor Elkins Widener Rice''' or '''Mrs. Alexander Hamilton Rice'''<!--<<chk names, and add other names-->; {{circa}}1862<!--see infobox for BD ambiguity-->{{snd}}July{{nbsp}}13, 1937) was an American heiress, socialite, philanthro{{shy}}pist, and adventur{{shy}}ess best remembered for her donation to ] of the ]{{mdashb}}a memorial to her elder son ], who (along with her first husband, ]) perished in the ]. '''Eleanor Elkins Widener''' ({{nee|Eleanore}}<!--<<yes with an /e/--> Elkins,{{NoteTag|name=eleanore}} later known as '''Eleanor Elkins Widener Rice''' or '''Mrs. Alexander Hamilton Rice'''<!--<<chk names, and add other names-->; {{circa|1862}}<!--see infobox for BD ambiguity-->{{ndash}}1937) was an American heiress, socialite, philanthropist, and adventuress best remembered for her donation to ] of the ]{{mdashb}}a memorial to her elder son ], who (along with her first husband, ]) perished in the ].


Widener later married Harvard professor ], a surgeon and explorer. Widener later married Harvard professor ], a surgeon and explorer, then accompanied him on a number of expeditions, including one on which she "went further up the Amazon than any white woman had penetrated" and, purportedly, he was attacked by cannibals.
She subse{{shy}}quently accompa{{shy}}nied Rice on a number of expeditions, including one on which she "went further up the Amazon than any white woman had pene{{shy}}trated" and, purportedly, he was attacked by cannibals.


==First marriage== == First marriage ==
] ]]
Widener was the daughter of Philadelphia streetcar magnate ].
In 1883 she married ], son of her father's business partner, Eleanor Elkins was the daughter of ] streetcar magnate ]. In 1883 she married ], son of her father's business partner, thereby " two of the largest fortunes in the city. She was known as one of the city's most beautiful women."{{px1}}{{r|nyt_obit}}
thereby " two of the largest fortunes in the city. She was known as one of the city's most beautiful women."{{px1}}{{r|nyt_obit}}


In later marriage{{clarify|date=April 2014}} they lived in her father-in-law's 110-room Pennsyl{{shy}}vania mansion, ]. In later marriage{{clarify|date=April 2014}} they lived in her father-in-law's 110-room Pennsylvania mansion, ], in ]. Their children were ], ], and ].{{r|nyt_obit}}
Their children were ], ], and ].{{r|titanica_widener-family}}


== ''Titanic'' survival and Widener Library == == ''Titanic'' survival and Widener Library ==
[[File:Widener w1.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8 ] architect ] in ] ]]
[[File:HarvardUniversity WidenerLibrary ExteriorFront c1915 cropped.jpg|thumb |right |link=https://commons.wikimedia.org/File:HarvardUniversity_WidenerLibrary_ExteriorFront_c1915.jpg
|Widener, son George ''(l)'', and ] archi{{shy}}tect ] in ] ]]
|], Harvard University]]


{{nobr|In 1912 she}} and her husband traveled to Paris with their elder son Harry, in search of a chef for their new hotel, Philadelphia's ]. On April 10 they embarked at ] on the ] for their return to the United States. On ] they hosted the ship's captain, ], at dinner in its ].{{refn|{{cite book
] ]]
|last1=Archbold|first1=Rick|last2=McCauley|first2=Dana|title=Last dinner on the Titanic|url=https://archive.org/details/lastdinnerontita00arch|url-access=registration|date= 1997|publisher=Hyperion|page=

|isbn=9780786863037 }} }}
[[File:HarvardUniversity WidenerLibrary ExteriorFront c1915 cropped.jpg|thumb |upright=1.1 |link=https://commons.wikimedia.org/File:HarvardUniversity_WidenerLibrary_ExteriorFront_c1915.jpg
George, Harry, and their valet all perished in the sinking, but Eleanor and her maid<ref name="titanica">{{Cite web |title=Eleanor Widener |url=https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/eleanor-widener.html |access-date=January 23, 2023 |website=Encyclopedia Titanica |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225234717/https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/eleanor-widener.html |archive-date=December 25, 2022}}</ref> survived.{{px1}}{{r|nyt_obit}}{{NoteTag|
|], Harvard University]]
Though not naming Widener as among those manning the oars, ]'s affidavit to the US Senate committee investigating the disaster does relate that ''Titanic's'' ]{{r|gazette2012}} was at least partly "great lady"-{{zwsp}}powered:
In 1912 Widener and her husband traveled to Paris, with their elder son Harry, in search of a chef for their new hotel, Philadelphia's Ritz Carlton.
:], Mrs. Widener, ], and ] were the only others I knew in our boat{{nbsp}}...<!--{{paragraph break}}I was in the bow of the boat with my daughter and turned to see the great ship take a plunge toward the bow, the two forward funnels seemed to lean and then she seemed to break in half as if cut with a knife, and as the bow went under the lights went out; the stern stood up for several minutes, black against the stars, and then that, too, plunged down, and there was no sound for what seemed like hours, and then began the cries for help of people drowning all around us, which seemed to go on forever. -->Some one called out, 'Pull for your lives, or you'll be sucked under,' and everyone that could rowed like mad. I could see my younger daughter<!--<<had two daughters with her, the younger apparently also named Emily Borie Ryerson, though not certain of this--> and Mrs. Thayer and Mrs. Astor rowing, but there seemed to be no suction. Then we turned to pick up some of those in the water{{nbsp}}...{{r|senate|page=1107{{hyphen}}8}}
On April{{nbsp}}12 they embarked at ] on the ] for their return to America.
George, Harry, and their valet all perished in the ];{{r|tittit}}
but Widener, with her maid, "survived the ''Titanic'' by manning the oars in a lifeboat."{{px1}}{{r|nyt_obit}}{{refn|group=upper-alpha|
Though not naming Widener as among those manning the oars, ]'s affidavit to the US Senate committee investigating the disaster does relate that ''Titanic's'' ]{{r|gazette2012}} was at least partly "great lady"-{{zwsp}}powered:
:], Mrs. Widener, ], and ] were the only others I knew in our boat{{nbsp}}...{{paragraph break}}<!--I was in the bow of the boat with my daughter and turned to see the great ship take a plunge toward the bow, the two forward funnels seemed to lean and then she seemed to break in half as if cut with a knife, and as the bow went under the lights went out; the stern stood up for several minutes, black against the stars, and then that, too, plunged down, and there was no sound for what seemed like hours, and then began the cries for help of people drowning all around us, which seemed to go on forever. -->Some one called out, 'Pull for your lives, or you'll be sucked under,' and everyone that could rowed like mad. I could see my younger daughter<!--<<had two daughters with her, the younger apparently also named Emily Borie Ryerson, though not certain of this--> and Mrs. Thayer and Mrs. Astor rowing, but there seemed to be no suction. Then we turned to pick up some of those in the water{{nbsp}}...{{r|senate|page=1107{{hyphen}}8}}
}} }}


Soon after, Widener donated, at a cost of $3.5{{nbsp}}million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|3.5|1914|r=-1}} million in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}), the ] to ].{{r|bentinck1980|page=14}}{{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}} (Harry Widener, who was "intensely interested in the collection of rare and valuable books"<!--, and at the time of his death owned about twenty-five hundred volumes <<Library itself says 3300 books, so let's omit this-->, had graduated from ] in 1907.){{px1}}{{r|3rd_report}} She also{{when|date=April 2014}} rebuilt<!--other sources suggest merely that stained-glass windows were donated, not church reconstructed--> St.{{nbsp}}Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in ] as a memorial to George Dunton Widener, and gave a $300,000 science building to ]'s ], from which Harry Widener had graduated in 1903.{{r|nyt_obit}}
Soon after, Widener donated $2{{nbsp}}million to ] for construc{{shy}}tion of the ].{{r|gazette2012}}
(Harry Widener, who was "intensely interested in the collection of rare and valuable books"<!--, and at the time of his death owned about twenty-five hundred volumes <<Library itself says 3300 books, so let's omit this-->, had graduated from ] in 1907.){{px1}}{{r|3rd_report}}
She also{{when|date=April 2014}} rebuilt<!--other sources suggest merely that stained-glass windows were donated, not church reconstructed--> St.{{nbsp}}Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in Philadelphia's ] neighborhood as a memorial to George Widener, and gave a $300,000 science building to ]'s ], from which Harry Widener had graduated in 1903.{{r|nyt_obit}}


== Second marriage and South American adventures == == Second marriage and South American adventures ==
] ]
], the home Widener planned in ] with her first husband and completed with her second{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}]]
]


{{nowrap|At the library's June}} 1915 dedication, Widener met{{r|rotunda}}
], the home Widener planned with her first husband and completed with her second{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}]]
Harvard professor ], a surgeon and noted South American explorer,{{r|vita}}

a "certified ]"{{px1}}{{r|vita}} who "knew headwaters the way other society folk knew headwaiters."{{px1}}{{r|bring_back|p=29}}
]
In October she married Rice<ref name="titanica" /> while wearing her "celebrated string of pearls which she saved from the ''Titanic'' disaster".{{NoteTag|''The New York Times'' further reported:

:In order to avoid the publicity involved in the wedding in ] announced for tomorrow, were married shortly after noon today in the vestry of Emmanuel Church{{nbsp}}... The couple found no difficulty in getting around the Massachusetts law requiring five days' delay after securing the license.{{paragraph break}} John C. Rice appeared at the registry of births, marriages, and deaths in the City Hall Annex this morning armed with a power of attorney from Dr. Rice. He requested a blank for a petition to the court, asking a waiver of the five-day law. This he filled out, and at the courthouse he presented it to ]. The Judge without delay issued the waiver. The five-day restraint on the bridegroom-to-be and his betrothed bride was thus dissolved and rendered of no more force than if such a law did not exist{{nbsp}}...{{paragraph break}}Their marriage comes after emphatic denials both from the bride and Dr. Rice that an engagement existed between them, which was first reported last August, while Dr. Rice was a guest at Miramar, the Widener villa at Newport.{{r|weds}} }}
At the library's June 1915 dedication, Widener met{{r|rotunda}}
Harvard professor ], a surgeon and noted South American explorer,{{r|vita}}
a "certified ]"{{px1}}{{r|vita}} who "knew headwaters the way other society folk knew head{{shy}}waiters."{{px1}}{{r|bring_back|p=29}}
In October she married Rice while wearing her "celebrated string of pearls which she saved from the ''Titanic'' disaster".{{refn|group=upper-alpha|The ''New York Times'' further reported:
:In order to avoid the publicity involved in the wedding in ] announced for tomorrow, were married shortly after noon today in the vestry of Emmanuel Church{{nbsp}}... The couple found no difficulty in getting around the Massa{{shy}}chu{{shy}}setts law requiring five days' delay after securing the license.{{paragraph break}} John C. Rice appeared at the registry of births, marriages, and deaths in the City Hall Annex this morning armed with a power of attorney from Dr. Rice. He requested a blank for a petition to the court, asking a waiver of the five-day law. This he filled out, and at the courthouse he presented it to ]. The Judge with{{shy}}out delay issued the waiver. The five-day restraint on the bridegroom-to-be and his betrothed bride was thus dissolved and rendered of no more force than if such a law did not exist{{nbsp}}...{{paragraph break}}Their marriage comes after emphatic denials both from the bride and Dr. Rice that an engagement existed between them, which was first reported last August, while Dr. Rice was a guest at Miramar, the Widener villa at Newport.{{r|weds}} }}
(Another string, worth $250,000, had been lost.{{r|weds}} (Another string, worth $250,000, had been lost.{{r|weds}}
One headline read: "Explorer Weds Titanic Widow".){{px1}}{{r|bentinck1980|page=20}} One headline read: "Explorer Weds Titanic Widow".){{px1}}{{r|bentinck1980|page=20}}
She gave up her Philadelphia home, dividing her time among ], New York, and Paris when not accompa{{shy}}ny{{shy}}ing Rice in his explorations.{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}} She gave up her Philadelphia home, dividing her time among ], New York, and Paris when not accompanying Rice in his explorations.{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}


On one such foray Widener became "the first white woman to enter the ] country caused a great sensation among the natives. She was kindly treated and was looked upon with reverence. Natives showered her with gifts, and she made many friends with the women of the tribes by her gifts of beads, knives and other trinkets."{{px1}}{{r|NYevetel}}{{refn|group=upper-alpha| On one such foray, Widener became "the first white woman to enter the ] country caused a great sensation among the natives. She was kindly treated and was looked upon with reverence. Natives showered her with gifts, and she made many friends with the women of the tribes by her gifts of beads, knives and other trinkets."{{px1}}{{r|NYevetel}}{{refn|
The ''Evening Telegram'' continued: "Before leaving for the tropics Dr. and Mrs. Rice ordered a magnificent fountain on the Newport grounds containing eight which will be large enough to send streams of water seventy-five feet in the air."{{px1}}{{r|NYevetel}} The ''Evening Telegram'' continued: "Before leaving for the tropics Dr. and Mrs. Rice ordered a magnificent fountain on the Newport grounds containing eight which will be large enough to send streams of water seventy-five feet in the air."{{px1}}{{r|NYevetel}}
}} }}


A 1920 trip on which Widener "went further up the ] than any white woman had pene{{shy}}trated" was less successful. A 1920 trip on which Widener "went further up the ] than any white woman had penetrated" went less smoothly.
"The party warded off an attack by savages and killed two cannibals"{{px1}}{{r|nyt_obit}}{{mdashb}}{{zwsp}}<!--an extra zwsp seems necessary before the " or break won't happen, it seems-->"scantily clad{{nbsp}}... very ferocious and of large stature"{{px1}}{{r|trib}}{{mdashb}}though "as luck would have it, remained on the specially constructed yacht" during this phase of the explorations.{{r|NYevetel}} "The party warded off an attack by savages and killed two cannibals"{{px1}}{{r|nyt_obit}}{{mdashb}}{{zwsp}}<!--an extra zwsp seems necessary before the " or break won't happen, it seems-->"scantily clad{{nbsp}}... very ferocious and of large stature"{{px1}}{{r|trib}}{{mdashb}}though "as luck would have it, remained on the specially constructed yacht" during this phase of the explorations.{{r|NYevetel}}
That particular trip "<!--As a result that trip -->was abandoned on the advice of Indian guides, but the Rices ventured several more times into the jungles."{{px1}}{{r|nyt_obit}} That particular trip "<!--As a result that trip -->was abandoned on the advice of Indian guides, but the Rices ventured several more times into the jungles."{{px1}}{{r|nyt_obit}}
(A subse{{shy}}quent headline read: "Explorer Rice Denies That He Was Eaten By Cannibals".{{px1}}){{r|vita}} (A subsequent headline read: "Explorer Rice Denies That He Was Eaten By Cannibals".{{px1}}){{r|vita}}


In 1937 Widener died in a Paris store.{{r|nyt_obit}} In 1937 Widener died in a Paris store.<ref name="titanica" />{{r|nyt_obit}}
She left her fortune of $11 million,{{refn|{{cite news |title = Mrs. Rice Left Big Estate: It Is Reported as $10,811,645 in Filing at Newport |work = ] |date = June 7, 1942 |page = 36 }} }}
with minor exceptions, to a trust for the benefit of Rice, to pass on his death to her surviving son George and daughter Eleanor.{{refn|{{cite news |title = Dr. Alexander H. Rice Gets Wife's Millions |work = The New York Times |date = August 17, 1937 |page = 17 }} }}


==Notes== ==Portrayals==
* Diana Kent (2012) '']''; TV series
{{Reflist|group=upper-alpha|refs=


== Notes ==
{{refn|group=upper-alpha|name=eleanore
{{noteFoot|refs=

{{NoteTag|name=eleanore
|{{r|american_kennel_club}} |{{r|american_kennel_club}}
"]], and the family genealogy spell Mrs. Widener's name with terminal 'e'; however, she appears to have dropped the 'e' for her personal use and consistently signs herself to President ] without the 'e'." (Bentinck-Smith){{px1}}{{r|bentinck1976|page=77n}} "]], and the family genealogy spell Mrs. Widener's name with terminal 'e'; however, she appears to have dropped the 'e' for her personal use and consistently signs herself to President ] without the 'e'." (Bentinck-Smith){{px1}}{{r|bentinck1976|page=77n}}
}} }}


}} }}
{{clear right}}


==References== == References ==
* {{cite book
{{Commons category}}
| last1 = Piouffre
{{Reflist |28em |refs=
| first1 = Gérard
| year = 2009
| title = Le " Titanic " ne répond plus
| publisher = Tallendier
| isbn = 978-2-03-584196-4
}}
{{Reflist|refs=


{{refn|name=rotunda| {{cite web |title = The Memorial Library. The Rotunda |author = Harvard College Library |date = 2009 |access-date = May 15, 2014 |website = History of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Collection |publisher = The President and Fellows of Harvard College |url = http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/exhibits/widener/library/5_5.cfm }} }}
{{refn|name=rotunda| {{cite web | title = The Memo{{shy}}rial Library. The Rotunda
| author = Harvard College Library | date = 2009 |accessdate = 2014-05-15
| website= History of the Harry Elkins Widener Memo{{shy}}rial Collec{{shy}}tion
| publisher = The President and Fellows of Harvard College
| url=http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/exhibits/widener/library/5_5.cfm
}} }}


{{refn|name=vita| {{citation|title=Alexander Hamilton Rice: Brief life of an Amazon explorer: 1875{{ndash}}1956 | work=Harvard Magazine | date=March{{ndash}}April 2013 | first=Mark J. |last=Plotkin | publisher = Harvard University | url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/03/vita-alexander-hamilton-rice}} }} {{refn|name=vita| {{citation|title=Alexander Hamilton Rice: Brief life of an Amazon explorer: 1875{{ndash}}1956 | work=Harvard Magazine | date=March{{ndash}}April 2013 | first=Mark J. |last=Plotkin | publisher = Harvard University | url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/03/vita-alexander-hamilton-rice}} }}


{{refn|name=gazette2012|{{cite web|url=http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/04/as-result-of-titanics-sinking-widener-library-rose/|title=Widener Library rises from Titanic tragedy|last=Ireland|first=Corydon|date=April{{nbsp}}5, 2012|work=Harvard Gazette}} }} {{refn|name=gazette2012|{{cite web |url = http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/04/as-result-of-titanics-sinking-widener-library-rose/ |title = Widener Library rises from Titanic tragedy |last = Ireland |first = Corydon |date = April 5, 2012 |work = Harvard Gazette }} }}


{{refn|name=tittit| {{citation|work=titanic-titanic.com |url=http://www.titanic-titanic.com/eleanor_widener.shtml |title=Titanic First Class Passenger{{snd}}WIDENER, Mrs. Eleanor|accessdate=April{{nbsp}}18, 2014}}{{better source|date=April 2014}} }} {{refn|name=tittit| {{citation |work = titanic-titanic.com |url = http://www.titanic-titanic.com/eleanor_widener.shtml |title = Titanic First Class Passenger – WIDENER, Mrs. Eleanor |access-date = April 18, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170630055519/http://titanic-titanic.com/eleanor_widener.shtml |archive-date = June 30, 2017}}{{better source needed|date=April 2014}} }}


{{refn|name=weds| {{citation | url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F4071EFF395D16738DDDAE0894D8415B858DF1D3 {{refn|name=weds| {{citation |url = https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F4071EFF395D16738DDDAE0894D8415B858DF1D3 |title = Explorer Rice Weds Mrs. G. D. Widener – Law Requiring Five Days' Delay After Securing License Waived by a Court Order – Plans for Secrecy Fail – Bishop Lawrence Officiates at Ceremony in Emmanuel Church Vestry Witnessed by Twelve Persons |work = The New York Times |date = October 7, 1915 |access-date = November 24, 2017}} }}
|title= Explorer Rice Weds Mrs. G.{{nbsp}}D. Widener{{snd}}Law Requiring Five Days' Delay After Securing License Waived by a Court Order{{snd}}Plans for Secrecy Fail{{snd}}Bishop Lawrence Officiates at Ceremony in Emmanuel Church Vestry Witnessed by Twelve Persons| work=New York Times | date=October{{nbsp}}7, 1915 }} }}


{{refn|name=nyt_obit| {{citation | title=Mrs. A.{{nbsp}}H. Rice Dies in a Paris Store{{snd}}New York and Newport Society Woman, Wife of Explorer, Noted for Philanthropy{{snd}}A Survivor of Titanic{{snd}}Lost First Husband and Son in Disaster{{snd}}Gave Library to Harvard University | work=New York Times |date=July{{nbsp}}14, 1937}} }} {{refn|name=nyt_obit| {{citation |title = Mrs. A. H. Rice Dies in a Paris Store – New York and Newport Society Woman, Wife of Explorer, Noted for Philanthropy – A Survivor of Titanic – Lost First Husband and Son in Disaster – Gave Library to Harvard University |work = The New York Times |date = July 14, 1937 }} }}


{{refn|name=NYevetel |{{citation | work=New York Evening Telegram | date=May{{nbsp}}2, 1920 | page=10 | title= Routs 25 Amazon Cannibals{{snd}}Alexander H. Rice, Noted Explorer, Battles with Man Eaters in Wilds of World's Greatest River{{snd}}Wife Remains on Yacht and Escapes Encounter | url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%206/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Telegram/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Telegram%201920%20May-%20Jun%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Telegram%201920%20May-%20Jun%20Grayscale%20-%200037.pdf }} }} {{refn|name=NYevetel |{{citation |work = New York Evening Telegram |date = May 2, 1920 |page = 10 |title = Routs 25 Amazon Cannibals – Alexander H. Rice, Noted Explorer, Battles with Man Eaters in Wilds of World's Greatest River – Wife Remains on Yacht and Escapes Encounter |url = http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%206/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Telegram/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Telegram%201920%20May-%20Jun%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Telegram%201920%20May-%20Jun%20Grayscale%20-%200037.pdf }} }}


{{refn|name=bentinck1980|{{cite book |author = William Bentinck-Smith |publisher = Harvard College Library |title = "... a Memorial to My Dear Son": Some Reflections on 65 Years of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rLWxGQAACAAJ |year = 1980 }} }}
{{refn|name=trib| {{citation | work=New York Tribune | date = May 1, 1920 | page=7 | title= Explorers Kill Cannibals{{snd}}Former Mrs. Widener Shares Perils in South America | url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1920-05-01/ed-1/seq-7/ }} }}


{{refn|name=trib| {{citation |work = New York Tribune |date = May 1, 1920 |page = 7 |title = Explorers Kill Cannibals – Former Mrs. Widener Shares Perils in South America |url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1920-05-01/ed-1/seq-7/ }} }}
{{refn|name=titanica_widener-family|{{cite web | title=The Wideners: An American Family | url=http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/widener-family.html| website=Encyclopedia Titanica|accessdate=April{{nbsp}}22, 2014}}{{better source|date=April 2014}} }}


{{refn| name=bring_back | {{citation |title=Harvard, Bring Back Geography! |first=Edward |last=Tenner|work=Harvard Magazine| date= May{{ndash}}June 1988}} }} {{refn| name=bring_back | {{citation |title=Harvard, Bring Back Geography! |first=Edward |last=Tenner|work=Harvard Magazine| date= May{{ndash}}June 1988}} }}


{{refn|name=3rd_report|{{citation |<!--bibl info per http://hollis.harvard.edu/?itemid=|library/m/aleph|010521627--> {{refn|name=3rd_report|{{citation <!--bibl info per http://hollis.harvard.edu/?itemid=|library/m/aleph|010521627-->
| page={{nobr|334{{ndash}}5}} | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=nsgnAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA334 | year =1913 | pages=334–5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nsgnAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA334 | year =1913
| work = Third report{{nbsp}}/ Harvard College Class of 1907. | work = Third report{{nbsp}}/ Harvard College Class of 1907.
| author = Harvard College (1780- ). Class of 1907 | title=Harry Elkins Widener | author = Harvard College (1780- ). Class of 1907 | title=Harry Elkins Widener
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{{refn|name=senate| {{citation<!--bibl info per http://hollis.harvard.edu/?itemid=|library/m/aleph|013970591--> {{refn|name=senate| {{citation<!--bibl info per http://hollis.harvard.edu/?itemid=|library/m/aleph|013970591-->
| title='Titanic' disaster : hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce United States Senate Sixty-second Congress Second Session pursuant to S.{{nbsp}}Res. 283, directing the Committee on Commerce to investigate the causes leading to the wreck of the White star liner 'Titanic' | title='Titanic' disaster : hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce United States Senate Sixty-second Congress Second Session pursuant to S. Res. 283, directing the Committee on Commerce to investigate the causes leading to the wreck of the White star liner 'Titanic'
| author = United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce. | year =1912 | author = United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce. | year =1912
| publisher = Government Printing Office | work = 62nd Congress, no. 806 | publisher = Government Printing Office | work = 62nd Congress, no. 806
| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QZ0qAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1107}} }} | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QZ0qAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1107}} }}


{{refn|name=panamerican| {{citation | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=fT09AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA778 {{refn|name=panamerican| {{citation |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fT09AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA778 |work = Bulletin of the Pan American Union |volume = 43 |number = 6 |page = 778 |date = Dec 1916 |title = The 'Alberta' leaving New York for the Amazon River |department = Pan American Notes |last1 = Union |first1 = Pan American }} }}
| work = Bulletin of the Pan American Union | volume = 43 | number=6|page=778 | date=Dec 1916
| title = The 'Alberta' leaving New York for the Amazon River | department=Pan American Notes
}} }}


{{refn|name=american_kennel_club| {{citation | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=EWQZAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA310 {{refn|name=american_kennel_club| {{citation |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EWQZAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA310 |page = 310 |title = Mrs. Eleanore Elkins Widener (31840) |work = Lineage Book – National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution |year = 1911 |volume = 32 }} }}
| page=310 | title=Mrs. Eleanore Elkins Widener (31840)
| work = Lineage Book – National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution
| year=1911 | volume=32 }} }}


{{refn|name=titanica_eleanor_widener|{{cite web | title=Eleanor Widener | url=http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/eleanor-widener.html| website=Encyclopedia Titanica|accessdate=April{{nbsp}}22, 2014}}{{better source|date=April 2014}} }} {{refn|name=titanica_eleanor_widener|{{cite web |title = Eleanor Widener |url = http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/eleanor-widener.html |website = Encyclopedia Titanica |access-date = April 22, 2014 }}{{better source needed|date=April 2014}} }}


{{refn|name=bentinck1976|{{cite book | title=Building a great library: the Coolidge years at Harvard {{refn|name=bentinck1976|{{cite book |title = Building a great library: the Coolidge years at Harvard |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zYYaAAAAMAAJ |year = 1976 |last = Bentinck-Smith |first = William |publisher = Harvard University Library |isbn = 978-0-674-08578-7 }} }}
| url=http://books.google.com/books/about/?id=zYYaAAAAMAAJ
|year=1976 |last=Bentinck-Smith | first=William
|publisher=Harvard Univer{{shy}}sity Library |isbn=978-0-674-08578-7
}} }}

{{refn|name=bentinck1980|{{cite book
|author=William Bentinck-Smith |publisher=Harvard College Library
|title={{nobr|"... a}} Memorial to My Dear Son": Some Reflec{{shy}}tions on 65 Years of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library
|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rLWxGQAACAAJ |year=1980
}} }}


}} }}


{{Portal bar|Biography|Books|Education|Literature|United States}}
{{Persondata

| NAME = Widener, Eleanor Elkins
{{Commons category}}
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =

| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American heiress
{{Harvard University}}
| DATE OF BIRTH =
{{authority control}}
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ]

| DATE OF DEATH = July 13, 1937
| PLACE OF DEATH = ]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Widener, Eleanor Elkins}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Widener, Eleanor Elkins}}
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Latest revision as of 03:23, 13 September 2024

American heiress (c.1861–1937)

Eleanor Elkins Widener
BornEleanore Elkins
September 21, 1861 or May 21, 1862
Philadelphia
Died(1937-07-13)July 13, 1937 (aged 75)
Paris
Resting placeLaurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia
Known forGift of Widener Library at Harvard University
Spouses
Children
Parents
Signature

Eleanor Elkins Widener (née Eleanore Elkins, later known as Eleanor Elkins Widener Rice or Mrs. Alexander Hamilton Rice; c. 1862–1937) was an American heiress, socialite, philanthropist, and adventuress best remembered for her donation to Harvard University of the Widener Library‍—‌a memorial to her elder son Harry Elkins Widener, who (along with her first husband, George Dunton Widener) perished in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

Widener later married Harvard professor Alexander Hamilton Rice Jr., a surgeon and explorer, then accompanied him on a number of expeditions, including one on which she "went further up the Amazon than any white woman had penetrated" and, purportedly, he was attacked by cannibals.

First marriage

Lynnewood Hall

Eleanor Elkins was the daughter of Philadelphia streetcar magnate William Lukens Elkins. In 1883 she married George Dunton Widener, son of her father's business partner, thereby " two of the largest fortunes in the city. She was known as one of the city's most beautiful women." 

In later marriage they lived in her father-in-law's 110-room Pennsylvania mansion, Lynnewood Hall, in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. Their children were Harry Elkins Widener, George Dunton Widener Jr., and Eleanor Widener Dixon.

Titanic survival and Widener Library

Widener, son George (left), and Widener Library architect Horace Trumbauer in Harvard Yard
The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, Harvard University

In 1912 she and her husband traveled to Paris with their elder son Harry, in search of a chef for their new hotel, Philadelphia's Ritz Carlton. On April 10 they embarked at Cherbourg on the RMS Titanic for their return to the United States. On the night the ship sank they hosted the ship's captain, Edward Smith, at dinner in its À la Carte Restaurant. George, Harry, and their valet all perished in the sinking, but Eleanor and her maid survived. 

Soon after, Widener donated, at a cost of $3.5 million (equivalent to $80 million in 2023), the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library to Harvard University. (Harry Widener, who was "intensely interested in the collection of rare and valuable books", had graduated from Harvard College in 1907.)  She also rebuilt St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania as a memorial to George Dunton Widener, and gave a $300,000 science building to Pottstown, Pennsylvania's The Hill School, from which Harry Widener had graduated in 1903.

Second marriage and South American adventures

With A. H. Rice, May 1920
Miramar, the home Widener planned in Newport with her first husband and completed with her second
The yacht specially constructed for the Rices' Amazon explorations

At the library's June 1915 dedication, Widener met Harvard professor Alexander Hamilton Rice Jr., a surgeon and noted South American explorer, a "certified Boston Brahmin"  who "knew headwaters the way other society folk knew headwaiters."  In October she married Rice while wearing her "celebrated string of pearls which she saved from the Titanic disaster". (Another string, worth $250,000, had been lost. One headline read: "Explorer Weds Titanic Widow".)  She gave up her Philadelphia home, dividing her time among Newport, New York, and Paris when not accompanying Rice in his explorations.

On one such foray, Widener became "the first white woman to enter the Rio Negro country caused a great sensation among the natives. She was kindly treated and was looked upon with reverence. Natives showered her with gifts, and she made many friends with the women of the tribes by her gifts of beads, knives and other trinkets." 

A 1920 trip on which Widener "went further up the Amazon than any white woman had penetrated" went less smoothly. "The party warded off an attack by savages and killed two cannibals" ‍—‌​"scantily clad ... very ferocious and of large stature" ‍—‌though "as luck would have it, remained on the specially constructed yacht" during this phase of the explorations. That particular trip "was abandoned on the advice of Indian guides, but the Rices ventured several more times into the jungles."  (A subsequent headline read: "Explorer Rice Denies That He Was Eaten By Cannibals". )

In 1937 Widener died in a Paris store. She left her fortune of $11 million, with minor exceptions, to a trust for the benefit of Rice, to pass on his death to her surviving son George and daughter Eleanor.

Portrayals

  • Diana Kent (2012) Titanic; TV series

Notes

  1. ^ ", and the family genealogy spell Mrs. Widener's name with terminal 'e'; however, she appears to have dropped the 'e' for her personal use and consistently signs herself to President Lowell without the 'e'." (Bentinck-Smith) 
  2. Though not naming Widener as among those manning the oars, Emily Borie Ryerson's affidavit to the US Senate committee investigating the disaster does relate that Titanic's No. 4 Boat was at least partly "great lady"-​powered:
    Mrs. Thayer, Mrs. Widener, Mrs. Astor, and Miss Eustis were the only others I knew in our boat ...Some one called out, 'Pull for your lives, or you'll be sucked under,' and everyone that could rowed like mad. I could see my younger daughter and Mrs. Thayer and Mrs. Astor rowing, but there seemed to be no suction. Then we turned to pick up some of those in the water ...
  3. The New York Times further reported:
    In order to avoid the publicity involved in the wedding in Trinity Church announced for tomorrow, were married shortly after noon today in the vestry of Emmanuel Church ... The couple found no difficulty in getting around the Massachusetts law requiring five days' delay after securing the license. John C. Rice appeared at the registry of births, marriages, and deaths in the City Hall Annex this morning armed with a power of attorney from Dr. Rice. He requested a blank for a petition to the court, asking a waiver of the five-day law. This he filled out, and at the courthouse he presented it to Judge Grant. The Judge without delay issued the waiver. The five-day restraint on the bridegroom-to-be and his betrothed bride was thus dissolved and rendered of no more force than if such a law did not exist ...Their marriage comes after emphatic denials both from the bride and Dr. Rice that an engagement existed between them, which was first reported last August, while Dr. Rice was a guest at Miramar, the Widener villa at Newport.

References

  1. "Eleanor Widener". Encyclopedia Titanica. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  2. ^ "Titanic First Class Passenger – WIDENER, Mrs. Eleanor", titanic-titanic.com, archived from the original on June 30, 2017, retrieved April 18, 2014
  3. ^ "Mrs. Eleanore Elkins Widener (31840)", Lineage Book – National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, vol. 32, p. 310, 1911
  4. "Mrs. Widener Dixon, Philanthropist, 74". The New York Times. January 14, 1966. p. 39.
  5. ^ "Mrs. A. H. Rice Dies in a Paris Store – New York and Newport Society Woman, Wife of Explorer, Noted for Philanthropy – A Survivor of Titanic – Lost First Husband and Son in Disaster – Gave Library to Harvard University", The New York Times, July 14, 1937
  6. Archbold, Rick; McCauley, Dana (1997). Last dinner on the Titanic. Hyperion. p. 136. ISBN 9780786863037.
  7. ^ "Eleanor Widener". Encyclopedia Titanica. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  8. Ireland, Corydon (April 5, 2012). "Widener Library rises from Titanic tragedy". Harvard Gazette.
  9. United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce. (1912), "'Titanic' disaster : hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce United States Senate Sixty-second Congress Second Session pursuant to S. Res. 283, directing the Committee on Commerce to investigate the causes leading to the wreck of the White star liner 'Titanic'", 62nd Congress, no. 806, Government Printing Office
  10. ^ William Bentinck-Smith (1980). "... a Memorial to My Dear Son": Some Reflections on 65 Years of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library. Harvard College Library.
  11. Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  12. Harvard College (1780- ). Class of 1907 (1913), "Harry Elkins Widener", Third report / Harvard College Class of 1907., New York: Press of Styles and Cash, pp. 334–5{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. Union, Pan American (December 1916), "The 'Alberta' leaving New York for the Amazon River", Pan American Notes, Bulletin of the Pan American Union, vol. 43, no. 6, p. 778
  14. Harvard College Library (2009). "The Memorial Library. The Rotunda". History of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Collection. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  15. ^ Plotkin, Mark J. (March–April 2013), "Alexander Hamilton Rice: Brief life of an Amazon explorer: 1875–1956", Harvard Magazine, Harvard University
  16. Tenner, Edward (May–June 1988), "Harvard, Bring Back Geography!", Harvard Magazine
  17. ^ "Explorer Rice Weds Mrs. G. D. Widener – Law Requiring Five Days' Delay After Securing License Waived by a Court Order – Plans for Secrecy Fail – Bishop Lawrence Officiates at Ceremony in Emmanuel Church Vestry Witnessed by Twelve Persons", The New York Times, October 7, 1915, retrieved November 24, 2017
  18. ^ "Routs 25 Amazon Cannibals – Alexander H. Rice, Noted Explorer, Battles with Man Eaters in Wilds of World's Greatest River – Wife Remains on Yacht and Escapes Encounter" (PDF), New York Evening Telegram, p. 10, May 2, 1920
  19. The Evening Telegram continued: "Before leaving for the tropics Dr. and Mrs. Rice ordered a magnificent fountain on the Newport grounds containing eight which will be large enough to send streams of water seventy-five feet in the air." 
  20. "Explorers Kill Cannibals – Former Mrs. Widener Shares Perils in South America", New York Tribune, p. 7, May 1, 1920
  21. "Mrs. Rice Left Big Estate: It Is Reported as $10,811,645 in Filing at Newport". The New York Times. June 7, 1942. p. 36.
  22. "Dr. Alexander H. Rice Gets Wife's Millions". The New York Times. August 17, 1937. p. 17.
  23. Bentinck-Smith, William (1976). Building a great library: the Coolidge years at Harvard. Harvard University Library. ISBN 978-0-674-08578-7.
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