Benjamin Guggenheim
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2012) |
Benjamin Guggenheim | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 26, 1865 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | April 15, 1912 (aged 46) Atlantic Ocean, aboard the RMS Titanic |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse |
Florette Seligman
(m. 1894–1912) |
| Children | Benita Rosalind Guggenheim Peggy Guggenheim Barbara Hazel Guggenheim |
| Parent(s) | Meyer Guggenheim Barbara Myers |
Benjamin Guggenheim (October 26, 1865 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman. He died aboard RMS Titanic when the ship sank near Cape Race, Newfoundland.
Early life
Benjamin Guggenheim was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, the fifth of seven sons of the wealthy mining magnate Meyer Guggenheim (1828–1905) and Barbara Myers (1834–1900). In 1894, he married Florette Seligman (1870–1937),[1] daughter of James Seligman, a senior partner in the firm J & W Seligman, and Rosa Seligman née Content. They had three daughters: Benita Rosalind Guggenheim (1895–1927), Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim (1898–1979) and Barbara Hazel Guggenheim (1903–1995).
While Guggenheim inherited a great deal of money from his father, he did not inherit his father's business acumen. His inheritance dwindled considerably from a number of poor investments. He grew distant from his wife and, ostensibly for business reasons, was frequently away from their New York City home. He maintained an apartment in Paris, France.[2]
Aboard the Titanic
Guggenheim boarded the RMS Titanic and was accompanied by his mistress, a French singer named Madame Léontine Aubart (1887–1964); his valet, Victor Giglio (1888–1912); his chauffeur, René Pernot (1872–1912); and Madame Aubart's maid, Emma Sägesser (1887–1964). His ticket was number 17593 and cost £79 4s (other sources give the price as £56 18s 7d). He and Giglio occupied stateroom cabin B82 while Aubart and Sägesser occupied cabin B35. Pernot occupied an unknown cabin in second class.
Guggenheim and Giglio slept through the Titanic's encounter with the iceberg only to be awakened just after midnight ship's time by Aubart and Sägesser, who had felt the collision. Sägesser later quoted Giglio as saying, "Never mind, icebergs! What is an iceberg?" Guggenheim was persuaded to awaken and dress; Bedroom Steward Henry Samuel Etches helped him on with a lifebelt and a heavy sweater before sending him, Giglio, and the two ladies up to the Boat Deck.
As Aubart and Sägesser reluctantly entered Lifeboat No. 9, Guggenheim spoke to the maid in German, saying, "We will soon see each other again! It's just a repair. Tomorrow the Titanic will go on again." Realizing that the situation was much more serious than he had implied, as well as realizing he was not going to be rescued, he then returned to his cabin with Giglio and the two men changed into evening wear. The two were seen heading into the Grand staircase closing the door behind them. He was heard to remark, "We've dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen." He also gave a survivor a message saying, "Tell my wife, if it should happen that my secretary and I both go down, tell her I played the game out straight to the end. No woman shall be left aboard this ship because Ben Guggenheim was a coward." Guggenheim and his valet were last seen seated in deck chairs in the Staircase sipping brandy and smoking cigars. Both men went down with the ship. Their bodies, if recovered, were never identified. Guggenheim's chauffeur, René Pernot, was also lost in the disaster.
One of his final acts was to write the following message: 'If anything should happen to me, tell my wife I've done my best in doing my duty.'
A&E Television handled a biography of Benjamin Guggenheim with the following article, which describes him having far more business success and acumen than the above article gives him credit (here is the link: http://www.biography.com/people/benjamin-guggenheim-283816)
Benjamin Guggenheim biography 1 photo Quick Facts
NAME: Benjamin Guggenheim BIRTH DATE: October 26, 1865 DEATH DATE: c. April 14, 1912 PLACE OF BIRTH: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Best Known For:
Benjamin Guggenheim was an heir in the wealthy Guggenheim family. Following a trip to Europe, he decided to sail on the maiden voyage of the Titanic.
Synopsis: Benjamin Guggenheim, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was an heir in the wealthy Guggenheim family. He took up the family mining business, gaining the nickname "Silver Prince". Following a trip to Europe, he decided to sail on the maiden voyage of the Titanic after missing a trip on the Lusitania. Guggenheim died after the ship sank April 14, 1912.
Early Life: Businessman, member of wealthy Guggenheim family. Born on October 26, 1865, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sometimes called the "Silver Prince," Benjamin Guggenheim earned his nickname from his interests in that precious metal. He was one of the seven sons of Swiss-born industrialist Meyer Guggenheim. Spending much of his adult life working in family businesses, Guggenheim perished in the Titanic disaster of 1912.
At the age of 20, Guggenheim went to Colorado to handle the family's mines in Leadville. He was inspired to start a smelting operation - the first plant was located in Pueblo and soon more plants were built elsewhere. Smelting business continued to grow and became quite lucrative for the Guggenheims.
After taking a break in Europe, Guggenheim returned to the United States and started building mining machinery. That business later became part of the International Steam Pump Company in 1906. After serving as chairman of the company's executive committee for several years, Guggenheim was elected president in 1909.
The Titanic Disaster: Returning from Europe in 1912, Guggenheim had originally booked a trip on the Lusitania. But that sailing was canceled so that the ocean liner could undergo repairs. Instead of taking the replacement vessel, the Carmania, Guggenheim decided to travel to New York on the maiden voyage of the Titanic, a new ship on the White Star Line. Little did he know when he boarded the ship at Southampton that this decision would prove to be a fatal one.
Late on the night of April 14, the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to sink. Guggenheim and his secretary dressed in their finest evening clothes and assisted women and children with getting on the lifeboats. He told a crew member that "we've dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen."
Guggenheim asked a crew member to deliver a message to his wife Florette. "If anything should happen to me, tell my wife in New York that I've done my best in doing my duty." The couple had been married since 1894 and had three daughters, Benita, Marguerite, and Barbara. Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim later became a legendary art collector and patron.
Along with his secretary, Guggenheim had been traveling with his mistress, Leontine Pauline "Ninette" Aubart, a French singer. Guggenheim and his secretary died at sea, but Aubart and her maid made it onto one of the lifeboats and were rescued by the Carpathia. She later returned to France.
Legacy: Grieving, the Guggenheim family was distraught over the loss of one of their own. His brother Daniel told The New York Times that "I feel very bitter against such a state of conditions which made this disaster possible."
In his will, Guggenheim left one-third of his estate to his wife Florette and two-thirds to his three daughters after making roughly $115,000 in charitable donations.
© 2012 A&E Television Networks. All rights reserved."
Portrayals
Benjamin Guggenheim was one of the most prominent American victims of the Titanic disaster. As such, he has been a character in the numerous movies and television series depicting the sinking.
- Camillo Guercio (in an uncredited role) (1953) (Titanic)
- Harold Goldblatt (1958) (A Night to Remember)
- John Moffatt (1979) (S.O.S. Titanic) (TV movie)
- Michael Ensign (1997) (Titanic) Guggenheim is depicted being in the flooding Grand Staircase aboard the ship.
- David Eisner (2012) (Titanic) (TV series/2 episodes)
Guggenheim is possibly the inspiration[citation needed] for the character in the Italian animated series Huntik: Secrets & Seekers, the character in which shares the same name.
In the novel Last Tango in Aberystwyth by Malcolm Pryce, Ben Guggenheim's concern for others before himself as the Titanic was sinking was used as a moral compass.
See also
References
- ^ Guggenheim-Seligman : New York Times (1894) - 25 October 1894
- ^ "Benjamin Guggenheim". biography.com. Retrieved 16th February, 2012.
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External links and references
- Encyclopedia Titanica Biography of Benjamin Guggenheim
- Benjamin Guggenheim on Titanic-Titanic.com
- Encyclopedia Titanica Biography of Emma Sägesser[dead link]
- Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, by John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas, W.W. Newton & Company, 2nd edition 1995 ISBN 0-393-03697-9
- A Night to Remember, by Walter Lord, ed. Nathaniel Hilbreck, Owl Books, rep. 2004, ISBN 0-8050-7764-2