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The Vanderbilt family is a significant international family with Dutch
Dutch people

The Dutch are the people native to the Netherlands, a country in north-western Europe.Dutch people, or descendants of Dutch people, are also found in migrant communities world wide,See the Dutch #Dutch diaspora. and form a mentionable part of the population of Canada,Australia, South Africa and the United States....
 origins, who were highly prominent during the 1800s because of the family patriarch Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquets Commodore or Commodore Vanderbilt, was an United States entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and Rail transport and was the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family....
, the tenth wealthiest person in history
Wealthy historical figures 2008

The list of the most wealthy historical figures of 2008 is based on research done around the world by Forbes magazine in 2007 and other sources of information, and has been adjusted for 2007 US dollars....
, who created railroad and shipping empires. His descendants went on to build great Fifth Avenue mansions, Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, Rhode Island, United States, about 30 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island....
 summer cottages, the famous Biltmore House and various other exclusive homes
Vanderbilt houses

From the late 1870s to the 1920s, the Vanderbilt family employed America's best Beaux-Arts architecture architects and decorators to build an unequalled string of New York townhouses and East Coast palaces in the United States....
. The family members were the leaders of the high society scene and the Gilded Age
Gilded Age

The Gilded Age was a time period when some activity or skill was at its peak. The wealth polarization derived primarily from industrial and population expansion.The businessmen of the Second Industrial Revolution created industrial towns and cities in the Northeastern United States with new factories, and contributed to the creation of an ethnica...
, 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.






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The Vanderbilt family is a significant international family with Dutch
Dutch people

The Dutch are the people native to the Netherlands, a country in north-western Europe.Dutch people, or descendants of Dutch people, are also found in migrant communities world wide,See the Dutch #Dutch diaspora. and form a mentionable part of the population of Canada,Australia, South Africa and the United States....
 origins, who were highly prominent during the 1800s because of the family patriarch Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquets Commodore or Commodore Vanderbilt, was an United States entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and Rail transport and was the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family....
, the tenth wealthiest person in history
Wealthy historical figures 2008

The list of the most wealthy historical figures of 2008 is based on research done around the world by Forbes magazine in 2007 and other sources of information, and has been adjusted for 2007 US dollars....
, who created railroad and shipping empires. His descendants went on to build great Fifth Avenue mansions, Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, Rhode Island, United States, about 30 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island....
 summer cottages, the famous Biltmore House and various other exclusive homes
Vanderbilt houses

From the late 1870s to the 1920s, the Vanderbilt family employed America's best Beaux-Arts architecture architects and decorators to build an unequalled string of New York townhouses and East Coast palaces in the United States....
. The family members were the leaders of the high society scene and the Gilded Age
Gilded Age

The Gilded Age was a time period when some activity or skill was at its peak. The wealth polarization derived primarily from industrial and population expansion.The businessmen of the Second Industrial Revolution created industrial towns and cities in the Northeastern United States with new factories, and contributed to the creation of an ethnica...
, 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 . 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
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
. A current famous descendant in the family is journalist Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper

Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author and television personality. He currently works as the primary News presenter#News anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360?....
, son of Gloria Vanderbilt
Gloria Vanderbilt

Gloria Laura Morgan Vanderbilt is an United States artist, actress, heiress, and socialite most noted as an early developer of designer blue jeans....
, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius Vanderbilt II

Cornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, heir, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.He was the favorite grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who left him $500,000.00, and the eldest son of William Henry Vanderbilt, who left him close to $70 million....
.

History

The prominence of the family was started by Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquets Commodore or Commodore Vanderbilt, was an United States entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and Rail transport and was the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family....
 (1794–1877), the fourth of nine children born to a Staten Island family of modest means. His great-great-great-grandfather, Jan Aertszoon van der Bilt (1620–1705), was a Dutch farmer from the village of De Bilt
De Bilt

Media:Nl-De Bilt.ogg is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht ....
, Utrecht
Utrecht (province)

Utrecht is the smallest Provinces of the Netherlands of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest....
 in the Netherlands who emigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherlands as an indentured servant
Indentured servant

An indentured servant is a form of debt bondage worker. The laborer is under contract of an employer for usually three to seven years, in exchange for their transportation, food, drink, clothing, lodging and other necessities....
 in 1650. Jan's village name was added to the Dutch "van der" (from the) to create "van der Bilt" which was evolved to Vanderbilt when the English took control of New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam

New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonization of the Americas settlement that later became New York City.The town developed outside of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in the New Netherland Territory which was situated between 38 and 42 degrees latitude as a provincial extension of the Dutch Republic as of 1624....
 (now New York).

Cornelius Vanderbilt left school at age 11 and went on to build a shipping
Merchant Navy

The British Merchant Navy, known simply as the Merchant Navy, is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews....
 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
Corwith Township, Michigan

Corwith Township is a civil township of Otsego County, Michigan in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,719 at the United States Census, 2000....
, which was settled about 1875 . When the Vanderbilt-owned Michigan Central Railroad
Michigan Central Railroad

The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada....
  came through in 1880, the village
Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or Residential community, larger than a hamlet , but smaller than a town or city. Though generally located in rural areas, the term urban village may be applied to certain urban area neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in Beirut, Lebanon....
 of Vanderbilt, Michigan
Vanderbilt, Michigan

Vanderbilt is a village in Otsego County, Michigan in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 587 at the United States Census, 2000....
, was established. Although Cornelius Vanderbilt always occupied a modest home, members of his family would use their wealth to build magnificent mansions
Vanderbilt houses

From the late 1870s to the 1920s, the Vanderbilt family employed America's best Beaux-Arts architecture architects and decorators to build an unequalled string of New York townhouses and East Coast palaces in the United States....
. Shortly before his death in 1877, Vanderbilt donated US$1 million for the establishment of Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private university research university in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for ship transport and rail transport magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial United States dollar1 million endowment despite having never been to the Southern...
 in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
.

Members of the family dominated what has come to be known as the "Gilded Age
Gilded Age

The Gilded Age was a time period when some activity or skill was at its peak. The wealth polarization derived primarily from industrial and population expansion.The businessmen of the Second Industrial Revolution created industrial towns and cities in the Northeastern United States with new factories, and contributed to the creation of an ethnica...
", 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
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt

Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt was a sportsman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
 (1877-1915), who went down on the RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania

RMS Lusitania was a Lusitania-Class Great Britain luxury ocean liner owned by the Cunard Line and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland, torpedoed by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915....
. His son Alfred Jr.
Alfred G. Vanderbilt II

Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, a son of the first Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt who died a hero in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania....
 became a noted horse breeder and racing elder. Harold Stirling Vanderbilt
Harold Stirling Vanderbilt

Harold Stirling Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family who was a railroad executive, a champion Yachting and a champion Contract bridge player....
 (1884-1970) gained fame as a sportsman, winning the most coveted prize in yacht racing, the America's Cup
America's Cup

The America?s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Summer Olympics by 45 years....
, on three occasions. His brother "Willie K" launched the Vanderbilt Cup
Vanderbilt Cup

The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held at a course set out in Nassau County, New York on Long Island, New York....
 for auto racing
Auto racing

Auto racing is a motorsport involving racing cars. It is one of the world's most watched television sports....
. Cornelius Vanderbilt IV
Cornelius Vanderbilt IV

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00023, Cornelius Vanderbilt jr..jpgCornelius Vanderbilt IV , who often wrote under the name of Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., was the son of Grace Vanderbilt and Cornelius Vanderbilt III, who worked in the newspaper industry, and wrote several books....
 (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.
the Breakers Rear
Cornelius Vanderbilt had been awarded a gold medal by the United States government during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
 for donating his steamer S.S. Vanderbilt to the Union forces
Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
. Inheritance of this medal became the symbol for the titular head of the Vanderbilt family.

In 1855, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt donated 8.5 acre
Acre

The acre is a Units of measurement of area in a number of different systems, including the Imperial unit#Measures of area and United States customary units#Units of area systems....
s (34,000 m˛) of property to the Moravian Church and cemetery at New Dorp on Staten Island, New York. Later, his son William Henry Vanderbilt
William Henry Vanderbilt

William Henry Vanderbilt was an American businessman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
 donated a further 4 acres (16,000 m˛). 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
Mausoleum

A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons....
 was redesigned in 1885 by architect
Architect

An architect is trained and licenced in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e....
 Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt

Richard Morris Hunt was a well-known American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture....
.

Hudsontour108
Present-day economist John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth "Ken" Galbraith, Order of Canada was a Canadian-American economics. He was a Keynesian economics and an institutional economics, a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism and Progressivism in the United States....
 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
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 had been torn down. In 1973, the first Vanderbilt family reunion took place at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private university research university in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for ship transport and rail transport magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial United States dollar1 million endowment despite having never been to the Southern...
.

The family's modern legacy includes Vanderbilt University as well as Vanderbilt Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, which runs alongside Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal ? often popularly called Grand Central Station or simply Grand Central ? is a Train station#Terminus at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City....
, 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
    Cornelius Vanderbilt

    Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquets Commodore or Commodore Vanderbilt, was an United States entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and Rail transport and was the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family....
     (1794–1877)
    • Phebe Jane Vanderbilt (1814–1878)
    • Ethelinda Vanderbilt (1817–1889)
    • Eliza Vanderbilt (1819–1890)
    • William Henry Vanderbilt
      William Henry Vanderbilt

      William Henry Vanderbilt was an American businessman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
       (1821–1885)
      • Cornelius Vanderbilt II
        Cornelius Vanderbilt II

        Cornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, heir, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.He was the favorite grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who left him $500,000.00, and the eldest son of William Henry Vanderbilt, who left him close to $70 million....
         (1843–1899)
        • William Henry Vanderbilt II (1870–1892)
        • Cornelius Vanderbilt III
          Cornelius Vanderbilt III

          Cornelius Vanderbilt III was a distinguished United States military officer, inventor, engineer, and yachtsman, and a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family....
           (1873–1942)
          • Cornelius Vanderbilt IV
            Cornelius Vanderbilt IV

            File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00023, Cornelius Vanderbilt jr..jpgCornelius Vanderbilt IV , who often wrote under the name of Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., was the son of Grace Vanderbilt and Cornelius Vanderbilt III, who worked in the newspaper industry, and wrote several books....
             (1898–1974)
          • Grace Vanderbilt
            Grace Vanderbilt

            Grace Vanderbilt was the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt III and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family. She was one of the last Vanderbilts to live the luxurious life of the "head of society" that her predecessors such as Alice and Alva Vanderbilt enjoyed....
        • Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
          Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

          Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City....
           (1875–1942)
          • Flora Payne Whitney
            Flora Payne Whitney

            Flora Payne Whitney, also known as Flora Whitney Miller , was a wealthy socialite, art collector, and patron of the arts. She was the eldest daughter of Harry Payne Whitney, a sportsman and heir to the Whitney family fortune, and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, heiress to a substantial part of the Vanderbilt family fortune....
             (1897–1986)
            • Flora Miller Biddle (1928–????)
          • Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
            Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney

            Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney was an United States businessman, film producer, writer, and government official, as well as the owner of a leading stable of Thoroughbred horse race....
             (1899–1992)
            • Searle Whitney
            • Cornelia Whitney
            • Harry Payne Whitney II
            • Nancy Marie Whitney
          • Barbara Whitney (1903–1982)
        • Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
          Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt

          Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt was a sportsman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
           (1877–1915)
          • Governor William Henry Vanderbilt III
            William Henry Vanderbilt III

            William Henry Vanderbilt III, , was an American statesman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
             (1901–1981)
          • Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II (1912–1999)
            • Heidi Vanderbilt (1948–)
            • Wendy Vanderbilt Lehman (1940–)
            • Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III (1949–)
              • James Vanderbilt
                James Vanderbilt

                James P. Vanderbilt is an United States screenwriter. A member of the notable Vanderbilt family of New York, he is the son of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III ....
                 (1976–)
            • Nicholas Harvey Vanderbilt (1958–1984)
            • Victoria Emerson Vanderbilt (1959–)
              • Caitlin Vanderbilt Weiss (1983–)
              • Sasha Virginia Weiss (1985–)
            • Michael Dagget Vanderbilt (1967–)
          • George Washington Vanderbilt III
            George Washington Vanderbilt III

            George Washington Vanderbilt III was a yachtsman and a scientific explorer who was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
             (1914–1961)
        • Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880–1925)
          • Cathleen Vanderbilt (1904–1944)
            • Harry Cushing IV
              • Harry Cushing V
          • Gloria Vanderbilt
            Gloria Vanderbilt

            Gloria Laura Morgan Vanderbilt is an United States artist, actress, heiress, and socialite most noted as an early developer of designer blue jeans....
             (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
              Anderson Cooper

              Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author and television personality. He currently works as the primary News presenter#News anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360?....
               (1967–)
        • Countess Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi
          Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi

          Gladys Vanderbilt Sz?chenyi was a Hungary countess and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.Countess Sz?chenyi was born Gladys Moore Vanderbilt, in 1886, the seventh and youngest child of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the President and Chairman of the New York Central Railroad....
           (1886–1965)
          • Cornelia Szechenyi
          • Gladys Szechenyi
          • Alice Szechenyi
          • Ferdinandine Szechenyi
          • Sylvia Szechenyi (?–1998)
      • Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt-Shepherd (1845–1924)
      • William Kissam Vanderbilt
        William Kissam Vanderbilt

        William Kissam Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.The second son of William Henry Vanderbilt, from whom he inherited $55 million, he was for a time active in the management of the family railroads, though not much after 1903....
         (1849–1920)
        • Consuelo Vanderbilt
          Consuelo Vanderbilt

          Consuelo Balsan , was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family, as well as an English aristocrat. She was seen as the ultimate marital prize of the Golden age....
           (1877–1964)
          • John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough
            John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough

            John Albert William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough was the elder son of Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, the American railroad heiress....
             (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–)
            • 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–)
            • John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough
              John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough

              John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant , is the son of Lt.-Col. John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough and his wife, Hon....
               (1926–)
              • John David Ivor Spencer-Churchill, Earl of Sunderland
                Earl of Sunderland

                The title of Earl of Sunderland was created in the Peerage of Peerage of England in 1643. In 1733, the 5th Earl succeeded to the title of Duke of Marlborough, with which title the earldom has ever since been merged, and generally used as a courtesy title for the heir apparent to the heir apparent of the Dukedom....
                 (1952–1955)
              • Jamie Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford
                Jamie Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford

                Charles James Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford, commonly known as Jamie Blandford , is an England aristocrat and the heir apparent to the Duke of Marlborough ....
                 (1955–)
                • George Spencer-Churchill, Earl of Sunderland
                  George Spencer-Churchill, Earl of Sunderland

                  George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill, Earl of Sunderland is in line, after his father, to the Duke of Marlborough.George Spencer-Churchill is the elder son of the Jamie Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford ....
                   (1992–)
                • Lady Araminta Clementine Megan Spencer-Churchill (2007–)
              • Lady Henrietta Mary Spencer-Churchill
                Lady Henrietta Gelber

                Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill is the eldest daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, whose family seat is Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.Lady Henrietta is a successful interior decorator and founder of Woodstock Designs....
                 (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–)
          • Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill
            Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill

            The Lord Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill was the younger son of the Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American railroad heiress....
             (1898–1956)
            • Robert Spencer-Churchill (1954–)
              • John Robert I. Spencer-Churchill (1984–)
              • Ivor Charles E. Spencer-Churchill (1986–)
        • William Kissam ("Willie K") Vanderbilt II
          William Kissam Vanderbilt II

          William Kissam Vanderbilt II was a motor racing enthusiast and Yachting and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.Born in New York City, the second child and first son of William Kissam Vanderbilt and Alva Belmont, he was known by the nickname "Willie K" and until his father died was labeled as Vanderbilt Jr....
           (1878–1944)
          • Muriel Vanderbilt
            Muriel Vanderbilt

            Muriel Vanderbilt was an United States socialite and a thoroughbred horse racing owner/breeder who was a member of the wealthy Vanderbilt family....
             (1902–1982)
          • Consuelo Vanderbilt
          • William Kissam Vanderbilt III
        • Harold Stirling Vanderbilt
          Harold Stirling Vanderbilt

          Harold Stirling Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family who was a railroad executive, a champion Yachting and a champion Contract bridge player....
           (1884–1970)
      • Emily Thorn Vanderbilt
        Emily Thorn Vanderbilt

        Emily Thorn Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.The second daughter of William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam , Emily Thorn Vanderbilt was named after her aunt, Emily Almira Thorn, daughter of dynasty founder Cornelius Vanderbilt....
         (1852–1946) (Mrs. William Douglas Sloane)
        • Lila Vanderbilt Sloane (Mrs. William Bradhurst Osgood Field)
          • William Osgood Field (1904–1994)
          • Frederick Vanderbilt Field
            Frederick Vanderbilt Field

            Frederick Vanderbilt Field was a great-great-grandson of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt who became a specialist on Asia, worked for the Institute of Pacific Relations, and supported so many openly Communist organizations that he was accused of being a member of the Communist Party USA....
             (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. Benny Goodman
            Benny Goodman

            Benjamin David Goodman, was an United States jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as "King of Swing ", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman"....
            )
            • Rachel Goodman
            • Benjie Goodman
          • John H. Hammond
            John H. Hammond

            John Henry Hammond II was a record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s. In his service as a A&R, Hammond became one of the most influential figures in 20th Century popular music....
             (1910–1987)
            • John P. Hammond
              John P. Hammond

              John P. Hammond , is a blues singer and guitarist. He is the son of the famed record producer and talent scout John H. Hammond, which makes him a great-great-grandson of William Henry Vanderbilt and a member of the Vanderbilt family....
               (1942–)
        • Malcom Douglas Sloane
        • Wiliam Douglas Sloane, Jr.
      • 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
        Frederick William Vanderbilt

        Frederick William Vanderbilt was a member of the financially and socially preeminent Vanderbilt family.He was graduate of Yale University's Sheffield Scientific School , and was a generous benefactor , commissioning a number of campus buildings by architect Charles C....
         (1856–1938)
      • Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt-Webb (1860–1936) (Mrs. William Seward Webb
        William Seward Webb

        Dr. W. Seward Webb was a son of Civil War Gen. James Watson Webb . He studied medicine in Vienna, Paris and Berlin. Returning to America, he entered the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and graduated from there in 1875....
        )
        • James Watson Webb (1884–)
          • J. Watson Webb, Jr.
            J. Watson Webb, Jr.

            James Watson Webb, Jr. was an American film editor and heir to both the Henry O. Havemeyer and Vanderbilt families. He was born in Syosset, Long Island to Electra Havemeyer Webb, the founder of the Shelburne Museum, and James Watson Webb, the great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt....
             (1916–2000)
        • William Seward Webb, Jr. (1887–)
        • Frederica Vanderbilt Webb (Mrs. Ralph Pulitzer
          Ralph Pulitzer

          File:Ralph Pulitzer.jpgInfluential publisher and socialite Ralph Pulitzer was the son of newspaper magnate Joseph Pulitzer and upon Pulitzer's death acquired control of the New York World, an influential American newspaper....
          )
        • Vanderbilt Webb
      • George Washington Vanderbilt II
        George Washington Vanderbilt II

        George Washington Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family, which had amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises....
         (1862–1914)
        • Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (1900–1976)
          • George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil
            George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil

            George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil is the owner and operator of Biltmore Farms. He is the first of two sons born to John Francis Amherst Cecil and Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt and is the grandson of George Washington Vanderbilt II, the founder of the Biltmore Estate....
             (1925–)
          • William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil
            William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil

            William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil is the younger son of John Francis Amherst Cecil and Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt . He is an operator of the Biltmore Estate through his company, The Biltmore Company....
             (1928–)
    • 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
                Vanderbilt University

                Vanderbilt University is a private university research university in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for ship transport and rail transport magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial United States dollar1 million endowment despite having never been to the Southern...
                 (1988-)
              • Lucy Elena Kissel (1991-)
              • Rosalie Thorn Kissel (1995-)
        • 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
      • 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
Amy Vanderbilt

Amy Vanderbilt was an United States authority on etiquette. In 1952 she published the best selling book Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette....
 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) , a distant cousin of the Vanderbilt and Whitney family
Whitney family

The Whitney family is an United States family notable for their social prominence, wealth, business enterprises and philanthropy founded by John Whitney who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635....
 who was featured in the 2003 documentary Born Rich
Born Rich

Born Rich is a 2003 documentary film about the experience of growing up as a child in one of the world's richest families. It was created by Jamie Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune....
.

By birth

  • William Henry Vanderbilt
    William Henry Vanderbilt

    William Henry Vanderbilt was an American businessman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
     (1821–1885)
  • George Washington Vanderbilt (1839–1864)
  • Cornelius Vanderbilt II
    Cornelius Vanderbilt II

    Cornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, heir, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.He was the favorite grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who left him $500,000.00, and the eldest son of William Henry Vanderbilt, who left him close to $70 million....
     (1843–1899)
  • William Kissam Vanderbilt
    William Kissam Vanderbilt

    William Kissam Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.The second son of William Henry Vanderbilt, from whom he inherited $55 million, he was for a time active in the management of the family railroads, though not much after 1903....
     (1849–1920)
  • Florence Vanderbilt (1854–1952)
  • Frederick William Vanderbilt
    Frederick William Vanderbilt

    Frederick William Vanderbilt was a member of the financially and socially preeminent Vanderbilt family.He was graduate of Yale University's Sheffield Scientific School , and was a generous benefactor , commissioning a number of campus buildings by architect Charles C....
     (1856–1938)
  • George Washington Vanderbilt II
    George Washington Vanderbilt II

    George Washington Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family, which had amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises....
     (1862–1914)
  • William Henry Vanderbilt II (1870–1892)
  • Cornelius Vanderbilt III
    Cornelius Vanderbilt III

    Cornelius Vanderbilt III was a distinguished United States military officer, inventor, engineer, and yachtsman, and a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family....
     (1873–1942)
  • Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
    Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

    Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City....
     (1875–1942)
  • Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
    Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt

    Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt was a sportsman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
     (1877–1915)
  • Consuelo Vanderbilt
    Consuelo Vanderbilt

    Consuelo Balsan , was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family, as well as an English aristocrat. She was seen as the ultimate marital prize of the Golden age....
     (1877–1964)
  • William Kissam ("Willie K") Vanderbilt II
    William Kissam Vanderbilt II

    William Kissam Vanderbilt II was a motor racing enthusiast and Yachting and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.Born in New York City, the second child and first son of William Kissam Vanderbilt and Alva Belmont, he was known by the nickname "Willie K" and until his father died was labeled as Vanderbilt Jr....
     (1878–1944)
  • Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880–1925)
  • Countess Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi
    Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi

    Gladys Vanderbilt Sz?chenyi was a Hungary countess and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.Countess Sz?chenyi was born Gladys Moore Vanderbilt, in 1886, the seventh and youngest child of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the President and Chairman of the New York Central Railroad....
     (1886–1965)
  • Harold Stirling Vanderbilt
    Harold Stirling Vanderbilt

    Harold Stirling Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family who was a railroad executive, a champion Yachting and a champion Contract bridge player....
     (1884–1970)
  • John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough
    John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough

    John Albert William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough was the elder son of Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, the American railroad heiress....
     (1897–1972)
  • Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill
    Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill

    The Lord Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill was the younger son of the Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American railroad heiress....
     (1898–1956)
  • Cornelius Vanderbilt IV
    Cornelius Vanderbilt IV

    File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00023, Cornelius Vanderbilt jr..jpgCornelius Vanderbilt IV , who often wrote under the name of Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., was the son of Grace Vanderbilt and Cornelius Vanderbilt III, who worked in the newspaper industry, and wrote several books....
     (1898–1974)
  • William Henry Vanderbilt III
    William Henry Vanderbilt III

    William Henry Vanderbilt III, , was an American statesman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
     (1901–1981)
  • Frederick Vanderbilt Field
    Frederick Vanderbilt Field

    Frederick Vanderbilt Field was a great-great-grandson of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt who became a specialist on Asia, worked for the Institute of Pacific Relations, and supported so many openly Communist organizations that he was accused of being a member of the Communist Party USA....
     (1905–2000)
  • Amy Vanderbilt
    Amy Vanderbilt

    Amy Vanderbilt was an United States authority on etiquette. In 1952 she published the best selling book Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette....
     (1908–1974)
  • Alfred G. Vanderbilt II
    Alfred G. Vanderbilt II

    Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, a son of the first Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt who died a hero in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania....
     (1912–1999)
  • George Washington Vanderbilt III
    George Washington Vanderbilt III

    George Washington Vanderbilt III was a yachtsman and a scientific explorer who was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
     (1914–1961)
  • Gloria Vanderbilt
    Gloria Vanderbilt

    Gloria Laura Morgan Vanderbilt is an United States artist, actress, heiress, and socialite most noted as an early developer of designer blue jeans....
     (1924–)
  • George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil
    George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil

    George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil is the owner and operator of Biltmore Farms. He is the first of two sons born to John Francis Amherst Cecil and Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt and is the grandson of George Washington Vanderbilt II, the founder of the Biltmore Estate....
     (1925–)
  • William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil
    William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil

    William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil is the younger son of John Francis Amherst Cecil and Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt . He is an operator of the Biltmore Estate through his company, The Biltmore Company....
     (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
    Anderson Cooper

    Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author and television personality. He currently works as the primary News presenter#News anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360?....
     (1967–)
  • Thomas Percy Cornelius Vanderbilt (1971–)
  • Josiah Hornblower (1975)
  • 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–)
  • Sebastian Vanderbilt Eide (1987-)
  • Markus Taylor Rivas-Vanderbilt (1987-)
  • Matthew Robert Calin Vanderbilt (1987-)
  • Madeliene Catherine Vanderbilt (1990-)
  • Lillian Vanderbilt (1994–)
  • Curtis Vanderbilt (-1991)
  • Devon Pickering (1991-)
  • Peter Cecil Vanderbilt Sinnott (1991-)
  • Parker Denton (1990-)
  • Myles Stokowski (1998-)
  • Grant Carlton Vanderbilt (2007-)


In fiction

  • In the fictional universe of Star Trek
    Star Trek

    Star Trek is an American Science fiction on television entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series, in addition to ten feature films with Star Trek to be released on May 8,...
    , 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
    United Federation of Planets

    The United Federation of Planets is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures....
    . (seen in the family photo album of Jean-Luc Picard
    Jean-Luc Picard

    Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a fictional Star Trek character primarily portrayed by English actor Patrick Stewart. He appears in Star Trek: The Next Generation as the captain of the United Federation of Planets starship USS Enterprise ....
     in Star Trek: Generations
    Star Trek: Generations

    Star Trek Generations is a 1994 in film science fiction film, and the seventh feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series....
    )
  • The family are also mentioned in the film Legally Blonde
    Legally Blonde

    Legally Blonde is a 2001 in film comedy film starring Reese Witherspoon, produced by Marc E. Platt for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios and directed by Robert Luketic....
    , starring Reese Witherspoon
    Reese Witherspoon

    Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer, who has established herself as a one of Hollywood top actresses in recent years....
    .
  • Nate Archibald
    Nate Archibald

    Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald is a retired American professional basketball player. He spent 13 years playing in the National Basketball Association, most notably with the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics....
    's mother in Gossip Girl
    Gossip Girl

    Gossip Girl is a series of novels for teenagers created by Cecily von Ziegesar and written by herself as well as by an unknown Ghostwriter. The name of the Gossip Girl , Gossip Girl, is also the nom de plume of the narrator....
     is supposed to be a Vanderbilt.
  • The family is mentioned on several occasions in Nelson Demille
    Nelson DeMille

    Nelson Richard DeMille is an United States author. DeMille was born in Jamaica, Queens and resides in Garden City, New York, a village on Long Island....
    's fictional novel The Gold Coast and its sequel The Gatehouse


See also

  • Vanderbilt University
    Vanderbilt University

    Vanderbilt University is a private university research university in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for ship transport and rail transport magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial United States dollar1 million endowment despite having never been to the Southern...
  • Vanderbilt (surname)
    Vanderbilt (surname)

    Vanderbilt is a surname, and may refer to:*The Vanderbilt family – a prominent family in the United States*Cornelius Vanderbilt *William Henry Vanderbilt ...