Anne Weightman Walker Penfield (December 15, 1844 – February 25, 1932) was a philanthropist and one of the richest women in the world.

Biography

She was born in December 15, 1844, to

William Weightman William Weightman (September 30, 1813 – August 25, 1904) was a chemical manufacturer and one of the largest landowners in the United States. Nicknamed the "Quinine King," he created a synthetic form of the drug. His company, Powers & Weightman ...

, "the quinine king," Mary Sieminski, "Anne Weightman: One of the wealthiest women in the world," ''The Williamsport Sun-Gazette'', July 13, 2014. and Louisa Stellwagen, and lived with her family at ''Ravenhill'', in the

East Falls East Falls (also The Falls, formerly the Falls of Schuylkill) is a neighborhood in the Northwest section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It lies on the east bank of the "Falls of the Schuylkill," cataracts submerged in 18 ...

section of Philadelphia. In 1880, Anne Weightman and her husband moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where her father purchased thousands of acres and real estate after Peter Herdic's financial collapse. She married Robert J. C. Walker in 1862. Walker died on December 19, 1903, in Philadelphia, leaving her a $10 million inheritance ($ in ). At the death of her father in 1904, Anne solely inherited ''Ravenhill,'' a $60 million valued estate, his properties in Williamsport, and a partnership in his drug company. Her sister-in-law, Sabine Josephine d'Invilliers Weightman fought in court for years to break William Weightman's will, which gave Anne the entire inheritance. Anne moved to Manhattan, New York, for her safety. In May 1907, she commissioned

Adolfo Müller-Ury Adolfo Müller-Ury, KSG (March 29, 1862 – July 6, 1947) was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and impressionistic painter of roses and still life. Heritage and early life in Switzerland He was born Felice Adolfo Müller on 29 Marc ...

to paint a portrait of

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...

(now at the Graduate House at the North American College in Rome). He also painted a portrait of Mrs. Walker alone, as well as a double portrait with her favorite niece Mrs. Richard Waln Meirs (for the latter's husband), and a posthumous portrait of her father. In 1908, she married

Frederic Courtland Penfield Frederic Courtland Penfield (April 23, 1855 – June 19, 1922) was an American diplomat who served in London, Cairo, and as U.S. Ambassador to Austria-Hungary. Biography Frederic Penfield was born in Haddam, Connecticut, on April 23, 1855 to Dan ...

, an orientalist, a Harvard alumnus and the United States Austria-Hungary ambassador, at St. Patrick's Cathedral. To celebrate her wedding she gave $1 million to charity ($ in ). She also donated money and property to family members, World War I relief funds, art communities, and Catholic organizations. Pope Pius X bestowed on Anne the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in recognition of her numerous benefactions to Catholic Churches.

WWI

While in the Austro-Hungarian Empire as the wife of the American ambassador Frederick Penfield she was awarded the

Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Gran ...

of the Imperial

Order of Elizabeth The Imperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth (German: ''Kaiserlich österreichischer Elisabeth-Orden''), founded in 1898 by Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, was an order created for women. The order was the namesake of Saint E ...

for her work among the sick and wounded soldiers of the dual monarchy. In 1914 the United States was neutral in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Death

She died on February 25, 1932, in Manhattan. She is interred in the Weightman family plot at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery ...

in Philadelphia.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weightman, Anne American philanthropists 1932 deaths 1844 births People from Philadelphia