Benjamin Guggenheim facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benjamin Guggenheim
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Guggenheim in 1912
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| Born | October 26, 1865 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Died | April 15, 1912 (aged 46) |
| Resting place | North Atlantic Ocean |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American German |
| Education | Columbia College Peirce School of Business |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) |
Florette Seligman
(m. 1894) |
| Children | 3, including Peggy Guggenheim and Barbara Hazel Guggenheim |
| Parent(s) | Meyer Guggenheim |
Benjamin Guggenheim (born October 26, 1865 – died April 15, 1912) was a rich American businessman. He was part of the famous Guggenheim family. He sadly died when the huge ship, the RMS Titanic, sank in the Atlantic Ocean. His body was never found.
Early Life and Family
Benjamin Guggenheim was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the fifth of seven sons. His father, Meyer Guggenheim, was a very wealthy businessman who made his money in mining. His mother was Barbara Myers. Both of his parents were originally from Switzerland.
Benjamin was the first in his family to go to college. He started at Columbia College in 1882. However, he found many of his classes boring. He left after his second year. He also went to the Peirce School of Business, which was a well-known business school at the time. Benjamin Guggenheim was Jewish.
In 1894, he married Florette Seligman. Her father, James Seligman, was a senior partner in a big company called J. & W. Seligman & Co.. Benjamin and Florette had three daughters: Benita Rosalind, Marguerite "Peggy", and Barbara Hazel.
Benjamin Guggenheim inherited a lot of money from his mother. Because of his business, he often traveled away from his family home in New York City. He also had an apartment in Paris, France.
Aboard the Titanic
Benjamin Guggenheim boarded the RMS Titanic for its journey. He was traveling with a French singer named Léontine Aubart. Also with them were his valet (a personal assistant), Victor Giglio, and his chauffeur, René Pernot. Madame Aubart's maid, Emma Sägesser, was also part of their group.
His ticket cost about £79. Benjamin and Victor Giglio stayed in a first-class cabin, B84. Léontine Aubart and Emma Sägesser were in cabin B35. René Pernot had a cabin in second class.
Guggenheim and Giglio were sleeping when the Titanic hit the iceberg. Aubart and Sägesser woke them up just after midnight. Emma Sägesser later said that Giglio first joked, "Never mind, icebergs! What is an iceberg?" Benjamin was convinced to get up and get dressed. A ship's steward, James Etches, helped him put on a lifebelt and a warm sweater. Then, he sent Guggenheim, Giglio, and the two women up to the boat deck.
As Aubart and Sägesser got into Lifeboat No. 9, Guggenheim spoke to the maid in German. He told her, "We will soon see each other again! It's just a repair. Tomorrow the Titanic will go on again."
However, Benjamin soon realized the situation was much more serious. He knew he would not be rescued. He went back to his cabin with Victor Giglio. The two men changed into their best evening clothes. A survivor named Rose Amelie Icard wrote that Benjamin Guggenheim, after helping women and children get to safety, "got dressed and put a rose at his buttonhole, to die." He was heard saying, "We've dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen."
James Etches, the steward who survived, remembered a message from Guggenheim. He said, "If anything should happen to me, tell my wife in New York that I've done my best in doing my duty." Etches said that he waved goodbye to Mr. Guggenheim and Giglio shortly before the last lifeboats were lowered. That was the last time he saw them. Both men, along with Guggenheim's chauffeur René Pernot, died when the ship sank. Their bodies were never found or identified.
Portrayals in Media
Benjamin Guggenheim was one of the most well-known American victims of the Titanic disaster. Because of this, he has been shown in many films, TV shows, and a Broadway musical based on the sinking:
- Camillo Guercio (uncredited) in Titanic (1953)
- Harold Goldblatt in A Night to Remember (1958)
- John Moffatt in SOS Titanic (1979)
- Michael Ensign in Titanic (1997)
- David Eisner in Titanic (2012)
See also
- Guggenheim family
