Benjamin Guggenheim

Benjamin Guggenheim (October 26, 1865 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman, a wealthy member of the Guggenheim family. He died aboard when the ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. Early life Guggenheim was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the fifth of seven sons of the wealthy mining magnate Meyer Guggenheim and Barbara Myers. Guggenheim's parents were Jewish. His father was a Swiss Jew born in Lengnau, Aargau, Switzerland and his mother was a German Jew. Guggenheim met Barbara Meyers (1834–1900), a fellow immigrant on the ship to the United States, and married her four years later around 1852. Benjamin was the first member of his family to enter an institute of higher learning, he entered Columbia College in 1882, matriculating with the class of 1887. However, he found most of his courses boring and dropped out after his second year. He also attended the Peirce School of Business (now Peirce College), then one of the most prominent business schools in the country. In 1894, he married Florette Seligman (1870–1937), daughter of James Seligman, a senior partner in the firm J. & W. Seligman & Co. and Rosa Seligman, née Content. Her family originated in Baiersdorf, Franconia, Germany. 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 mother. 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. Aboard the Titanic