{{Short description|American family founded by Peter A. B. Widener}} {{More footnotes needed|date=December 2019}} [[File:Peter A. B. Widener SC-000402.jpg|thumb|''Portrait of Peter A. B. Widener'', a 1902 portrait of [[Peter Arrell Browne Widener]] by [[John Singer Sargent]]]] [[File:Lynnewood Hall 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Lynnewood Hall]] in 2007]] [[File:Miramar, Dr. Hamilton Rice's residence, Newport, R.I.-master-pnp-pcrd-1d00000-1d06000-1d06400-1d06425u copy.jpg|thumb|The [[Miramar (mansion)|Miramar]] mansion]] The '''Widener family''' is an American family from [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]].
Founded by [[Peter Arrell Browne Widener]] (1834–1915) and his wife, Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836–1896), it was once one of the wealthiest families in the United States. Widener was ranked #29 on the American Heritage list of the forty richest Americans in history, with a net worth at death of $23 billion to $25 billion. In 1883, Peter Widener was part of the founding partnership of the Philadelphia Traction Company, and he used the great wealth accumulated from that business to become a founding organizer of [[U.S. Steel]] and the [[American Tobacco Company]].{{citation needed|date = March 2012}}
==Family tree== * [[Peter Arrell Browne Widener]] (1834–1915), married Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836–1896) ** (son) Harry Widener (1859–1874), died unmarried and without issue ** (son) [[George Dunton Widener]] (1861–1912), married [[Eleanor Elkins Widener|Eleanor Elkins]] (1862–1937), began construction of [[Miramar (mansion)|Miramar]], died aboard the {{RMS|Titanic}} *** (grandson) [[Harry Elkins Widener]] (1885–1912), died aboard the RMS ''Titanic'', died unmarried and without issue *** (grandson) [[George D. Widener Jr.]] (1889–1971), married Jessie Sloane Dodge (1883–1968), purchased [[Erdenheim Farm]], died without issue *** (granddaughter) [[Eleanor Widener Dixon]] (1891–1966), married banker Fitz Eugene Dixon (1888–1982), built Ronaele Manor **** (great-granddaughter) Eleanor Widener Dixon (1913–1967), married James Cuthbert Gentle (1904–1986), died without issue **** (great-grandson) [[Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr.]] (1923–2006), married Edith Bruen Robb (born 1925), inherited Erdenheim Farm *****(great-great-grandson) George Widener Dixon (born 1953) *****(great-great-granddaughter) Edith Eleanor Dixon (born 1957), married Donald P. Rosendale<ref>{{cite news|title=Ellin Dixon Is to Marry|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/01/style/ellin-dixon-is-to-marry.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=1 May 1983}}</ref> ** (son) [[Joseph E. Widener|Joseph Early Widener]] (1871–1943), married Eleanor Holmes Pancoast (1873–1929) *** (grandson) [[Peter Arrell Browne Widener II]] (1895–1948), married [[Gertrude T. Widener|Gertrude Douglas Peabody]] (1897–1970)<ref name="PABW2ndWedding1924">{{cite news|title=P.A.B. WIDENER 2D WEDS MRS. PEABODY {{!}} Philadelphian Marries Former Wife of F. S. Peabody at Lynnewood Hall, Eikins Park. {{!}} IN THE REMBRANDT ROOM {{!}} Bride Is a Recent Reno Divorcee -- Couple Sail Today for a Honeymoon in Europe|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/11/05/archives/pab-widener-2d-twed-rrs-pfbody-philadelphian-marries-former-wife-of.html|accessdate=30 June 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=5 November 1924}}</ref> **** (great-grandson) Peter Arrell Browne Widener III (1925–1999), married Louise B. Van Meter (1928–2018) *****(great-great-grandson) Peter Arrell Browne Widener IV (born 1950) *****(great-great-grandson) George D. Widener (born 1954) **** (great-granddaughter) Ella Ann Widener (1928–1986), married Cortright Wetherill (1923–1988) *****(great-great-grandson) Cortright Wetherill Jr. (born 1951), married Janice Nestle, 2 Children, Amanda Widener Wetherill, Cortright Wetherill III, married Elizabeth Hamlin (2023) *****(great-great-grandson) Peter Widener Wetherill (died 2010), died unmarried and without issue *** (granddaughter) Josephine "Fifi" Widener Leidy Holden Wichfeld Bigelow (1902–1961)<ref>Josephine "Fifi" Widener's husbands were: 1. Carter Randolph Leidy (m. 1920, divorce 1926); 2. Milton Whitely Holden (m. 1926, divorce 1932); 3. Askel C. P. Wichfield (m. 1933, divorce 1951); 4. Anson Alexander Bigelow (m. 1954).</ref> **** (great-granddaughter) Joan Widener Leidy Paine Ray (1923–1988), 1st married [[George Eustis Paine|George Eustis Paine Jr.]] (divorce 1950), 2nd married James Chandler Ray (1923–2017) *****(great-great-grandson) George Eustis Paine III (1942–2001), 1st married Dianne Marie Barton (m. 1965, divorce 1974), 1 child Eustis Barton Paine (born 1969), 2 children Samuel Eustis Paine (born 2006), Nathan Michel Paine (born 2006) *****(great-great-granddaughter) Leidy Simpson<ref>{{cite news |title=Joan Leidy Ray, 65, Dies |url=https://palmbeachpost.newspapers.com/clip/23075067/palm-beach-daily-news/ |work=Palm Beach Daily News |date=March 3, 1988}}</ref> *****(great-great-grandson) James Widener Ray (1952–2005), died without issue<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/special-reports/a-millionaires-guardian-many-hats-many-questions/|title = A millionaire's guardian: Many hats, many questions|date = 4 December 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | website=raynier.org | date=1952-11-25 | url=https://www.raynier.org/history/ | access-date=2022-12-30|title=History The Life of James Widener Ray}}</ref> *****(great-great-granddaughter) Joan Chandler Ray (1955–2009), 1 child Tyrone Cagney Ray (born 1983)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/azcentral/obituary.aspx?pid=132218611|title = Joan Chandler Ray Obituary (2009) the Arizona Republic|website = [[Legacy.com]]}}</ref>
===Other notable Widener relatives=== *[[George Widener (politician)|George Widener]] (1820–1901), Peter Arrell Browne Widener's eldest brother. Served as a member of the [[Philadelphia City Council]] representing the city's 20th ward.<ref>{{cite web |title=George Widener Dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/52581489 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |publisher=The Philadelphia Times |access-date=August 7, 2025 |page=1 |language=en |date=March 28, 1901}}</ref>
==Legacy== The legacy of Peter and Hannah Widener includes the [[Widener Library]] at [[Harvard University]], but even more important was the implanting of a [[social conscience]] in their children that has been passed down from generation to generation. While the family fortune dwindled over time through natural division and redivision by inheritors, many of their 21st-century descendants continue to be involved in charitable works. [[Widener University]] in [[Chester, Pennsylvania]], was named after the Wideners as a result of a very large contribution the family made when the college was transitioning from an all-male military college to a co-educational civilian university.{{citation needed|date = March 2012}}
Peter and Hannah Widener built [[Lynnewood Hall]] in [[Elkins Park, Pennsylvania]], a 110-room [[Georgian architecture|Georgian-style]] mansion designed by [[Horace Trumbauer]], where they assembled one of the most valuable art collections in the country. Left a vast fortune, their offspring became among the most prominent factors in American [[Thoroughbred horse race|Thoroughbred horse racing]] history, as well as founding benefactors of the [[National Gallery of Art]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Widener University]] in Chester, Pennsylvania, and the [[Widener School for Crippled Children]].{{citation needed|date = March 2012}}
==See also== * [[New Bolton Center|New Bolton Center at Widener Hospital]] * [[Elmendorf Farm]] * [[Happy Hill Farm]] * [[Belmont Park]] * [[Hialeah Park Race Track]] * [[Cotillion Handicap]] * [[Widener Handicap]] * [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]] * [[Tyler School of Art]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
* {{cite journal | title=The Wideners: An American Family | journal=Encyclopedia Titanica | date=2004-01-14 | url=https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/widener-family.html | access-date=2022-12-30 | last1=Whitmire | first1=David }} * "''Without Drums''" by [[Peter A. B. Widener II]], [[G. P. Putnam's Sons]] (1940) * [http://www.nga.gov/ National Gallery of Art website] * [[Temple University]] Archives
[[Category:Widener family| ]] [[Category:American art collectors]] [[Category:American businesspeople in the oil industry]] [[Category:American philanthropists]] [[Category:American racehorse owners and breeders]] [[Category:Business families of the United States]] [[Category:Foundations based in the United States]] [[Category:History of Philadelphia]] [[Category:National Gallery of Art]] [[Category:Widener University]]