William Guggenheim


William Guggenheim was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the youngest son of Meyer Guggenheim the patriarch of the Guggenheim family.

Personal life

William married Grace Brown on November 3, 1900, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The couple received fierce backlash from William's brother Daniel who disapproved of the match because Grace was a gentile and divorcée. In 1901 Grace filed for divorce in Chicago, Illinois, and was awarded $150,000 in alimony. William married a second time to Aimee Lillian Steinberger on October 16, 1904. Their only son William Guggenheim, Jr. was born on July 25, 1907. Grace Brown later claimed in 1913 that her marriage to William hadn't been annulled in 1901, due to the fact neither she nor William were Illinois residents at the time of their divorce. If Brown´s claims were valid, this would make William a bigamist and render his son illegitimate. The case was later dismissed since Brown had claimed she was a Illinois resident during the divorce.

Later years

After years of marital strain, William separated from Aimee. William died on June 27, 1941, in Manhattan, New York, and was interred at Salem Fields Cemetery in the Guggenheim family plot.