The genius of his work would not be widely accepted until after his death in November of 1930. He was not without recognition. The German government invested $120,000 in 1930 for his last expedition to the Arctic where he studied weather. That sum compares in value to $1.5 million in 2007 (pre-Bush global economic collapse). He was a bit of a national hero. He died in Greenland with a collegue, Rasmus Villumsen, during that expedition with temperatures reaching -76 Fahrenheit. I don't believe they see those temperatures in Greenland anymore. I am confident he did not want to die, but, died with dignity and commitment to purpose.
The work of Wegener is not dissimilar to those that practice scientific investigation. While a theory can be well founded and evidence compellling, the actual acceptance of the reality of the truth of the work often takes time by the community and other government. Scientists die. They die more times than reported in doing what they love and what they know. Dedication knows no purpose to scientists. The dedication they exude, no different than astronauts, are their lives. There is no line drawn between life and purpose, it is the same thing.
His theory known then as 'continental drift' became obvious with the discovery of seafloor spreading. The continents are above sea level, but, the actual continental plates have definitive boundaries below the surface of the oceans. The boundaries of these huge and heavy masses of land are in the 'lithosphere.' Plate Tectonics occurs because the lithosphere floats on the asthenosphere a very ductilly weak layer of Earth with high temperatures and varying depths. The asthenosphere varies in depth from 62 to 124 miles below Earth's surface. The heavier the plate the deeper its 'disposition' in the asthenosphere.
