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- This article details the family of Cornelius Vanderbilt. For other uses, see Vanderbilt (disambiguation).
| Vanderbilt | ||||||
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| Earlier spellings | van der Bilt | |||||
| Place of origin | De Bilt, the Netherlands | |||||
| Notable members | Cornelius Vanderbilt William Henry Vanderbilt Anderson Cooper |
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| Name origin and meaning | Dutch van de[r] Bilt ("from De Bilt") | |||||
The Vanderbilt family is a significant international family with Dutch origins, who were highly prominent during the 1800s due to the family patriarch Cornelius Vanderbilt, the tenth wealthiest person in history, who created railroad and shipping empires. His descendants went on to build great Fifth Avenue mansions, Newport, Rhode Island summer cottages, the famous Biltmore House and various other exclusive homes. The family members were the leaders of the high society scene and the Gilded Age, until the early 1900s, when the ten great Fifth Avenue mansions were torn down and fellow Vanderbilt homes were sold as museums and the like. The family suffered from a major downfall in prominence by the mid-1900s, known as the Fall of the House of Vanderbilt.[1] Despite the family's downfall and major loss of fortunes, the Vanderbilts remain the seventh wealthiest family in history.
Branches of the family are found on the United States East Coast as well as in the United Kingdom. A current famous descendant in the family is journalist Anderson Cooper, son of Gloria Vanderbilt and great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt II.
Contents |
History
The prominence of the family began with Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877), the fourth of nine children born to a Staten Island family of modest means. His great-great-great-grandfather, Jan Aertszoon or Aertson (1620–1705), was a Dutch farmer from the village of De Bilt, Utrecht, Netherlands, who emigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland as an indentured servant in 1650. Jan's village name was added to the Dutch "van der" (from the) to create "van der Bilt" which evolved into Vanderbilt when the English took control of New Amsterdam (now New York).
Cornelius Vanderbilt left school at age 11 and went on to build a shipping and railroad empire that, during the 19th century, made him one of the wealthiest men in the world.
The Vanderbilt family owned land in Corwith Township, Michigan, which was settled about 1875 . When the Vanderbilt-owned Michigan Central Railroad came through in 1880, the village of Vanderbilt, Michigan, was established. Although Cornelius Vanderbilt always occupied a modest home, members of his family would use their wealth to build magnificent mansions. Shortly before his death in 1877, Vanderbilt donated US$1 million for the establishment of Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Members of the family dominated what has come to be known as the "Gilded Age", a period when Vanderbilt men were the merchant princes of American life through their prominence in the business world and as patrons of the arts throughout the world.
Some of Cornelius Vanderbilt's offspring gained fame as successful entrepreneurs while several achieved prominence in other fields such as Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877-1915), who went down on the RMS Lusitania. His son Alfred Jr. became a noted horse breeder and racing elder. Harold Stirling Vanderbilt (1884-1970) gained fame as a sportsman, winning the most coveted prize in yacht racing, the America's Cup, on three occasions. His brother "Willie K" launched the Vanderbilt Cup for auto racing. Cornelius Vanderbilt IV (1898-1974) became an accomplished writer, newspaper publisher, and film producer. However, others made headlines as a result of drug and alcohol abuse and multiple marriages.
Cornelius Vanderbilt had been awarded a gold medal by the United States government during the American Civil War for donating his steamer S.S. Vanderbilt to the Union forces. Inheritance of this medal became the symbol for the titular head of the Vanderbilt family.
In 1855, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt donated 8.5 acres (34,000 m²) of property to the Moravian Church and cemetery at New Dorp on Staten Island, New York. Later, his son William Henry Vanderbilt donated a further 4 acres (16,000 m²). A plot was kept for the Vanderbilt family in the Moravian Cemetery and several of them are buried there in the family mausoleum including the family founder. Their mausoleum was redesigned in 1885 by architect Richard Morris Hunt.
Present-day economist John Kenneth Galbraith said that several generations of Vanderbilts showed both the talent for acquiring money and the dispensing of it in unmatched volume, adding that they dispensed their wealth for frequent and unparalleled self-gratification and very often did it with downright stupidity. Confirmation as to the validity of Galbraith's views is that only forty-eight years after the death of Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of his direct descendants died penniless. Within seventy years of his passing, the last of the ten great Vanderbilt Fifth Avenue mansions in New York City had been torn down. In 1973, the first Vanderbilt family reunion took place at Vanderbilt University.
The family's modern legacy includes Vanderbilt University as well as Vanderbilt Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, which runs alongside Grand Central Terminal, the New York City rail hub built by the Vanderbilt family.
Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt written by distant cousin Arthur T. Vanderbilt II, was published in 1989.
Family connection (listed by ancestry/generation)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877)
- Phebe Jane Vanderbilt (1814–1878)
- Ethelinda Vanderbilt (1817–1889)
- Eliza Vanderbilt (1819–1890)
- William Henry Vanderbilt (1821–1885)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843–1899)
- William Henry Vanderbilt II (1870–1892)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt III (1873–1942)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt IV (1898–1974)
- Grace Vanderbilt
- Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942)
- Flora Payne Whitney (1897–1986)
- Flora Miller Biddle (1928–????)
- Leverett Miller (1931–????)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1899–1992)
- Harry Payne Whitney II
- Nancy Marie Whitney
- Cornelius Scollay Whitney
- Gifford Cochran Whitney
- Harry Payne Whitney III
- Nancy Marie Whitney
- Alida Morgan
- Pamela Morgan
- Christopher Hurd
- Victoria Hurd
- Gayle Whitney
- Searle Whitney
- Harry Cross Whitney
- Cornelia Vanderbilt Whitney
- Harry Payne Whitney II
- Barbara Whitney (1903–1982)
- Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Henry
- Barclay Henry
- Flora Payne Whitney (1897–1986)
- Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877–1915)
- Governor William Henry Vanderbilt III (1901–1981)
- Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II (1912–1999)
- Heidi Vanderbilt (1948–)
- Wendy Vanderbilt Lehman (1940–)
- Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III (1949–)
- James Vanderbilt (1976–)
- Nicholas Harvey Vanderbilt (1958–1984)
- Victoria Emerson Vanderbilt (1959–)
- Caitlin Vanderbilt Weiss (1983–)
- Sasha Virginia Weiss (1985–)
- Michael Dagget Vanderbilt (1967–)
- Nicholas Lyman Vanderbilt (2008–)
- George Washington Vanderbilt III (1914–1961)
- Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880–1925)
- Cathleen Vanderbilt (1904–1944)
- Harry Cushing IV
- Harry Cushing V
- Harry Cushing IV
- Gloria Vanderbilt (1924–)
- Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski (1950–)
- Aurora Stokowski (1983–)
- Abra Stokowski (1986–)
- Myles Stokowski (1998–)
- Christopher Stokowski (1955–)
- Carter Vanderbilt Cooper (1965–1988)
- Anderson Hays Cooper (1967–)
- Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski (1950–)
- Cathleen Vanderbilt (1904–1944)
- Countess Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi (1886–1965)
- Cornelia Szechenyi
- Gladys Szechenyi
- Alice Szechenyi
- Ferdinandine Szechenyi
- Sylvia Szechenyi (?–1998)
- Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt-Shepherd (1845–1924)
- William Kissam Vanderbilt (1849–1920)
- Consuelo Vanderbilt (1877–1964)
- John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough (1897–1972)
- Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill (1921–2000)
- Serena Mary Churchill Russell (1944–)
- Morgan Alexander McConnell (1973–)
- Lucinda Mary McConnell (1975–)
- Consuelo Lily Balfour (1979–)
- Alastair Albert David Balfour (1981–)
- Consuelo Sarah Russell (1946–)
- Nicholas Judson (1976–)
- Ian Judson (1978–)
- Alexandra Brenda Russell (1949–)
- Jacqueline Russell (1958–)
- Serena Mary Churchill Russell (1944–)
- Lady Caroline Spencer-Churchill (1923–1992)
- Michael Thomas Waterhouse (1949–)
- Robin Hood E.T. Waterhouse (1987–)
- Marcus Charles Waterhouse (1990–)
- Elizabeth Ann Waterhouse (1951–)
- Willa Marjorie Beckett (1977–)
- Molly Rachel Beckett (1979–)
- Catherine Rose Beckett (1983–)
- Walter Gervase Beckett (1987–)
- David Charles Waterhouse (1956–)
- Michael Thomas Waterhouse (1949–)
- John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough (1926–)
- John David Ivor Spencer-Churchill, Earl of Sunderland (1952–1955)
- Jamie Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (1955–)
- George Spencer-Churchill, Earl of Sunderland (1992–)
- Lady Araminta Clementine Megan Spencer-Churchill (2007–)
- Lady Henrietta Mary Spencer-Churchill (1958–)
- David Aba Gelber (1981–)
- Maximilian Henry Gelber (1985–)
- Lord Richard Spencer-Churchill (1973–1973)
- Lord Edward Albert Charles Spencer-Churchill (1974–)
- Lady Alexandra Elizabeth Mary Spencer-Churchill (1977–)
- Lady Rosemary Mildred Spencer-Churchill (1929–)
- Alexander Pepys Muir (1954–)
- Simon Huntly Muir (1959–)
- Robin Hugo Muir (1993–)
- Thomas Sebastian Muir (1995–)
- Mary Arabella Muir (1962–)
- Jack Cresswell Haynes (1993–)
- Rowley James Haynes (1996–)
- Lord Charles Spencer-Churchill (1940–)
- Rupert John Harold Mark Spencer-Churchill (1971–)
- Dominic Albert Charles Spencer-Churchill (1979–)
- Alexander David Spencer-Churchill (1983–)
- Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill (1921–2000)
- Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill (1898–1956)
- Robert Spencer-Churchill (1954–)
- John Robert I. Spencer-Churchill (1984–)
- Ivor Charles E. Spencer-Churchill (1986–)
- Robert Spencer-Churchill (1954–)
- John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough (1897–1972)
- William Kissam ("Willie K") Vanderbilt II (1878–1944)
- Muriel Vanderbilt (1902–1982)
- Consuelo Vanderbilt
- William Kissam Vanderbilt III
- Harold Stirling Vanderbilt (1884–1970)
- Consuelo Vanderbilt (1877–1964)
- Emily Thorn Vanderbilt (1852–1946) (Mrs. William Douglas Sloane)
- Lila Vanderbilt Sloane (Mrs. William Bradhurst Osgood Field)[2]
- William Osgood Field (1904–1994)
- Frederick Vanderbilt Field (1905–2000)
- L. Field
- G. Field
- Marjorie Lila Field (1910–1997)
- Mary Augusta Field
- Florence Adele Sloane (1873–1960) (Mrs. James A. Burden Jr.)
- James Abercrombie Burden III
- William Douglas Burden
- Sheila Burden
- Emily Vanderbilt Sloane (Mrs. John Henry Hammond)
- Alice Frances Hammond (Mrs. Arthur Duckworth) (Mrs. Benny Goodman)
- Gillian Duckworth
- Shirley Duckworth
- Sophia Duckworth
- Rachel Goodman
- Benjie Goodman
- John H. Hammond (1910–1987)
- John P. Hammond (1942–)
- Alice Frances Hammond (Mrs. Arthur Duckworth) (Mrs. Benny Goodman)
- Malcom Douglas Sloane
- Wiliam Douglas Sloane, Jr.
- Lila Vanderbilt Sloane (Mrs. William Bradhurst Osgood Field)[2]
- Florence Adele Vanderbilt-Twombly (1854–1952)
- Ruth Vanderbilt Twombly (1878–)
- Florence Adele Twombly (1880–) (Mrs. William A.M. Burden)
- William A.M. Burden Jr.
- Shirley Carter Burden
- Hamilton McKown Twombly, II (1883–1906)
- Alice Twombly (1886–)
- Frederick William Vanderbilt (1856–1938)
- Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt-Webb (1860–1936) (Mrs. William Seward Webb)
- James Watson Webb (1884–)
- J. Watson Webb, Jr. (1916–2000)
- William Seward Webb, Jr. (1887–)
- Frederica Vanderbilt Webb (Mrs. Ralph Pulitzer)
- Vanderbilt Webb
- James Watson Webb (1884–)
- George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862–1914)
- Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (1900–1976)
- George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil (1925–)
- William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil (1928–)
- Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (1900–1976)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843–1899)
- Emily Almira Vanderbilt (1823–1896)
- William K. Thorn (ab.1848–1910)
- Carolin Thorn
- William Thorn Kissel
- William Thorn Kissel II
- Michael Case Kissel
- Siena Case Kissel, currently attending Vanderbilt University (1988-)
- Lucy Elena Kissel (1991-)
- Rosalie Thorn Kissel (1995-)
- Michael Case Kissel
- William Thorn Kissel II
- D. Kissel
- Louise Kissel
- Jeannette Thorn Kissel (m. Sir Richard Arthur Pease, 2nd Bt.)
- Sir Richard Thorn Pease, 3rd Bt.
- Aline Thorn Pease (m. Kenneth James William Mackay, 3rd Earl of Inchcape)
- Kenneth Peter Lyle Mackay, 4th Earl of Inchcape
- Fergus James Kenneth Mackay, Viscount Glenapp
- Kenneth Peter Lyle Mackay, 4th Earl of Inchcape
- William Thorn Kissel
- <female> Thorne
- J. Parrish
- Sophia Johnson Vanderbilt (1825–1912)
- Alfred Torrance (?–1885)
- Meredith Torrance
- Marie Louisa Vanderbilt (1827–1896)
- Frances Lavinia Vanderbilt (1829–1869)
- Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt (1830–1882)
- Mary Elecia Vanderbilt (1834–1902)
- Catherine Juliette Vanderbilt (1836–1881)
- George Washington Vanderbilt (1839–1864)
Family connection (alphabetical listing)
The following list includes etiquette guru Amy Vanderbilt although it is believed she descended from either an uncle or brother of Cornelius Vanderbilt and is therefore not an official descendant-member of this family. The list also includes Josiah Hornblower (1975) [1], a distant cousin of the Vanderbilt and Whitney family who was featured in the 2003 documentary Born Rich.
By birth
- William Henry Vanderbilt (1821–1885)
- George Washington Vanderbilt (1839–1864)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843–1877)
- William Kissam Vanderbilt (1849–1920)
- Florence Vanderbilt (1854–1952)
- Frederick William Vanderbilt (1856–1938)
- George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862–1914)
- William Henry Vanderbilt II (1870–1892)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt III (1873–1942)
- Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942)
- Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877–1915)
- Consuelo Vanderbilt (1877–1964)
- William Kissam ("Willie K") Vanderbilt II (1878–1944)
- Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880–1925)
- Countess Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi (1886–1965)
- Harold Stirling Vanderbilt (1884–1970)
- John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough (1897–1972)
- Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill (1898–1956)
- Molly K Vanderbilt(1960-)
- Ronald A Vanderbilt(1962-)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt IV (1898–1974)
- William Henry Vanderbilt III (1901–1981)
- Frederick Vanderbilt Field (1905–2000)
- Amy Vanderbilt (1908–1974)
- Alfred G. Vanderbilt II (1912–1999)
- George Washington Vanderbilt III (1914–1961)
- Gloria Vanderbilt (1924–)
- George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil (1925–)
- William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil (1928–)
- Alfred Vanderbilt (1943–)
- Robert Thomas Vanderbilt (1948–)
- Michael D Vanderbilt (1950-)
- Thomas A Vanderbilt (1954-)
- Victoria Emerson Vanderbilt (1959–)
- Carter Cooper (1965–1988)
- Anderson Cooper (1967–)
- Thomas Percy Cornelius Vanderbilt (1971–)
- Josiah Hornblower (1975) [2]
- Michael D Vanderbilt II (1976-)
- Nikolas Vanderbilt (1976-)
- Caitlin Ginn Weiss (1983–)
- Aurora Stokowski (1983–)
- Sasha Virginia Weiss (1985–)
- Lorenzo Vanderbilt-Gould (1986-)
- Abra Stokowski (1986–)
- Ryan J Vanderbilt(1986-)
- Sebastian Vanderbilt Eide (1987-)
- Markus Taylor Rivas-Vanderbilt (1987-)
- Matthew Robert Calin Vanderbilt (1987-)
- Madam Webbigail Vanderbilt (1988-)
- John Vanderbilt (1988-)
- Madeliene Catherine Vanderbilt (1990-)
- Rosaline Arabella Lily-Claire Vanderbilt (1992-)
- Lillian Vanderbilt (1994–)
- Curtis Vanderbilt (-1991)
- Devon Pickering (1991-)
- Peter Cecil Vanderbilt Sinnott (1991-)
- Parker Whitney (1989-)
- Cory D Vanderbilt(1994-)
- Myles Stokowski (1998-)
- Grant Carlton Vanderbilt (2007-)
In fiction
- In the fictional universe of Star Trek, the Vanderbilt family continues to thrive at least until the 22nd century, as a Thomas Vanderbilt is said to have been the first President of the United Federation of Planets. (seen in the family photo album of Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Generations)
- The family is also mentioned in the film Legally Blonde, starring Reese Witherspoon.
- Nate Archibald's mother in Gossip Girl is a Vanderbilt.
- The family is mentioned on several occasions in Nelson DeMille's novel The Gold Coast and its sequel The Gate House
- The Vanderbilt family is mentioned in the fiction novel Lions and Lace by Meagan McKinney.
- In the lyrics to the song "All I care About" from Chicago the character Billy Flynn sings "I don't care for any fine attire, Vanderbilt might admire, No no not me, All I care about is love."
- In American Pie Presents: Band Camp, the Vanderbilt family is portrayed through the lead band geek of Brandon Vandercamp.[citation needed]
- There is a line of Teddy Bears called Muffy Vanderbear, which is an image of the Vanderbilt family. Muffy's father's name is Cornelius.[3]
References
- ^ Fortune's Children Vanderbilt
- ^ "Leaders of Society Expected at Lenox; Great Preparations Made for Field-Sloane Wedding -- Social Functions of the Week," Special to The New York Times, July 6, 1902, Magazine Section, p. 28
- ^ "Muffy History". North American Bear Company. http://www.muffy.com/muffyhst.htm.
- Vanderbilt, Arthur T., II (1989). Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. New York: Morrow. ISBN 0688072798.
See also
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