Eleanor Elkins Widener

Eleanor Elkins Widener
Born	Eleanore Elkins[note 1] September 21, 1861 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	(1937-07-13)July 13, 1937 (aged 75) Paris, France
Resting place	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Known for	Gift of Widener Library at Harvard University
Spouses	George Dunton Widener Alexander Hamilton Rice Jr.
Children	Harry Elkins Widener George Dunton Widener Jr. Eleanor Widener Dixon
Parents	William Lukens Elkins Maria Louise Broomall
Signature

Eleanor Elkins Widener (September 21, 1861 - July 13, 1937) née Eleanore Elkins,^{[note 1]} 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 her husband and son Harry Elkins Widener, did not. She renovated St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, as a memorial to her husband and donated the Widener Library to Harvard University as a memorial to her son.

Widener re-married Harvard professor Alexander Hamilton Rice Jr.. 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.
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