George D. Widener Jr.

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100 years of Widener

The massive library rose after the Titanic sank and remains a linchpin of learning and conservation at Harvard

Campus|

DateMay 22, 2015October 21, 2019

First-class Titanic passenger Harry Elkins Widener, a 27-year-old Philadelphia businessman and book collector who had graduated from Harvard College in 1907, perished in the boat's sinking along with his father, George D. Widener. His mother, Eleanor Elkins Widener, survived, floating to safety aboard lifeboat No. 4. Not long after the Titanic went down, the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library went up at Harvard, thanks to a $2 million donation from his grieving mother.

Widener Library rises from Titanic tragedy

Ship disaster prompted memorial gift that led to book repository

Arts|

DateApril 5, 2012March 14, 2019