PETER A.B. WIDENER (1834-1915). Widener, a financier, was a key figure in the development of suburban street railways after the Civil War. He was instrumental in the consolidation of the various street railways in Philadelphia and the development of lines in Chicago. Widener and his associates acquired large street railway holdings in other cities as well, and eventually their properties totaled a greater mileage than those of any similar syndicate. He helped organize many of the large corporations whose names are familiar today such as the U.S. Steel Corporation and the American Tobacco Company. At his death, he was the wealthiest man in Philadelphia.