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1895 Stock Certificate Signed by GEORGE WIDENER Died in RMS Titanic Sinking!

$ 6.6

Availability: 27 in stock
  • Condition: See photos. The exact certificates you will receive are shown.
  • Modified Item: No
  • Type: Stock
  • Circulated/Uncirculated: Circulated
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States

    Description

    This auction is for:
    1895 Philadelphia Traction Company Stock Certificate Signed by RMS Titanic Victim George Dunton Widener
    Early Philadelphia trolley company. Certificate is hand-signed by magnate George Dunton Widener. Widener was the son of P.A.B. Widener and inherited the massive estate when his father died. In March 1912, George travelled to Paris with his wife and son Harry Widener, to find a new chef for his famous hotel in Philadelphia, the Ritz Carlton. Sadly, when returning from this trip, they decided to return on the maiden voyage of the ill-fated Titanic. George and his son Harry perished in the Atlantic, his wife was a survivor who made it onto a lifeboat. Nice bold signature. Orange, 100 share certificate issued in 1906, just a few years before the epic disaster.  Serial number 15029, issued to M.P, Heraty on Jan. 24, 1895. Signatures from Titanic victims are highly sought after!
    George Dunton Widener
    (June 16, 1861 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
    Early life
    Widener was born in Philadelphia on June 16, 1861. He was the eldest son of Hannah Josephine Dunton (1836–1896) and Peter Arrell Brown Widener (1834–1915), an extremely wealthy streetcar magnate.
    Career
    He joined his father's business and eventually took over the running of the Philadelphia Traction Company, overseeing the development of cable and electric streetcar operations. He also served on the board of directors of several important area businesses, including Philadelphia Traction Co., Land Title Bank and Trust Co., Electric Storage Battery Co., and Portland Cement Co. A patron of the arts, Widener was a director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
    RMS Titanic
    In 1912, Widener, his wife, and their son Harry traveled to Paris, France, with original intentions to find a chef for Widener's new Philadelphia hotel, The Ritz Carlton. The Wideners booked their return passage on RMS Titanic. After the ship struck an iceberg, Widener placed his wife and her maid Amalie Gieger in a lifeboat. The women were rescued by the steamship RMS Carpathia, but Widener and his son Harry and their valet Edwin Keeping perished on the Titanic. The bodies of the father and son, if recovered, were not identified.
    Personal life
    In 1883, he married Eleanor Elkins, the daughter of his father's business partner, William Lukens Elkins. Together, they had two sons and a daughter:
    Harry Elkins Widener (1885–1912), who died aboard the Titanic.
    George Dunton Widener Jr. (1889–1971), who married Jessie Sloane Dodge (1883–1968) in 1917.
    Eleanor Widener (1891–1966), who married Fitz Eugene Dixon on June 19, 1912. Eleanor sued Dixon for divorce in 1936.
    After Widener and his son's death aboard the Titanic, a memorial service was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, where stained glass windows were dedicated in their memory.
    Descendants
    He was the maternal grandfather of Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. (1923–2006). Dixon, who lived in Philadelphia, owned the Philadelphia 76ers and was a part owner of the Eagles, the Phillies and the Flyers.
    Residence
    Widener had commissioned Horace Trumbauer to design and oversee construction of Miramar, a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) French neoclassical-style mansion bordering Bellevue Avenue on Aquidneck Island at Newport, Rhode Island. Intended as a summer home, it was still in the design stage at the time of his death.
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    RETURNS AND GUARANTEE
    :
    Buyer satisfaction and authenticity of certificate is guaranteed – returns are accepted with 14 days of purchase (buyer pays return shipping cost unless item received is not as described in this listing).
    All certificates are originals, I do not sell reproductions. Stocks may have pinholes, tears, etc. Certificate shown is exact certificate you will receive, we don't use stock photos. Stock certificates may give paper cuts, use care when handling. Stock certificates are sold as collectibles only, no actual market value is to be expected.