Benjamin Guggenheim

Benjamin Guggenheim
Born (1865-10-26)October 26, 1865
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died April 15, 1912(1912-04-15) (aged 46)
Atlantic Ocean, aboard the RMS Titanic
Nationality American
Citizenship American and German
Alma mater Peirce School of Business
Occupation Businessman
Religion Jewish
Spouse(s) 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)[1] was an American businessman. He died aboard RMS Titanic when the ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. His body was never recovered.[2]

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),[3] daughter of James Seligman, a senior partner in the firm J & W Seligman and Rosa Seligman née Content. Together, they had three daughters: Benita Rosalind Guggenheim (1895–1927), Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim (1898–1979) and Barbara Hazel Guggenheim (1903–1995).

Guggenheim inherited a great deal of money from his father. Due to business concerns, he grew distant from his wife and was frequently away from their New York City home. He maintained an apartment in Paris, France.[4]

Aboard the Titanic

Guggenheim boarded the RMS Titanic and was accompanied by his mistress, a French singer named 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. Rose Amelie Icard wrote in a letter, "The billionaire Benjamin Guggenheim after having helped the rescue of women and children got dressed, a rose at his buttonhole, to die." [5] 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 foyer of the Grand 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 Guggenheim's 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."[2]

Portrayals

Benjamin Guggenheim was one of the most prominent American victims of the disaster. As such, he has been portrayed in numerous movies, television series and a Broadway show depicting the sinking.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Benjamin Guggenheim; findagrave.com
  2. 1 2 "Guggenheim, Dying, Sent Wife Message". New York Times. April 20, 1912. Retrieved April 17, 2012. Efforts to find the body of Benjamin Guggenheim, who was the fifth of the seven Guggenheim brothers, as well as the bodies of other victims, will be made by the six surviving brothers.
  3. ↑ Guggenheim-Seligman : New York Times (1894) – October 25, 1894
  4. ↑ "Benjamin Guggenheim". biography.com. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  5. ↑ http://www.reddit.com - accessed 3/27/2014 - The letter was posted for the public to see by Mike Delgado, username md28usmc, on 3/22/2014 asking only that it be translated from French to English.

External links and references

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