He was the eldest son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, an heir to his fortune and a prominent member of the Vanderbilt family.Vanderbilt became the richest American after he took over his father's fortune in 1877 until his own death in 1885, passing on a substantial part of the . About: William Henry Vanderbilt started his business training at the early age of 19 as a bank clerk. He was born on May 8, 1821 and since 1841 he had been happily married to Maria Louisa Kissam [1821-1896], the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. The Vanderbilt railroad business then consisted of ten railroads, a sleeping car company and the Hudson River Bridge. He was a member of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity and one of the most popular men in his class. Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt By Arthur T. Vanderbilt II Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty By Anderson Cooper & Katherine Howe . The family's progenitor was a Dutch farmer named Jan Aertsen Vanderbilt who came to New Amsterdam (now New York) in 1640 when he was 13 years old in order to have a better life. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Geni requires JavaScript! CHILDREN AT HIS BEDSIDE Duchess of Marlborough and Her Brothers Present with Financier's Widow. William received bad publicity and clarified his response with a subsequent interview by the Chicago Times. Aside from focusing on the business, he was also a philanthropist who donated substantial resources to various organizations. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of William Vanderbilt (91806842)? There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. He was born in 1821 and as a young man, his father didn't believe that he was ambitious. He had also a large allowance from his father, so large, in fact, that in his sophomore year he gave $5,000 for the new gymnasium at Yale.New York Times May 24, 1892, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. For his great-grandson, the governor of Rhode Island, see. William lived on month day 1922, at address, Rhode Island. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. William Henry "Billy" Vanderbilt (May 8, 1821 - December 8, 1885) was an American businessman and philanthropist. William Henry Vanderbilt was Governor of Rhode Island. Connect to 890 Vanderbilt profiles on Geni, Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91806842/william-henry-vanderbilt, Cornelius VANDERBILT II, Alice Claypoole VANDERBILT. Records from the Amsterdam Chamber of the West India Co. A Tour of New Netherland Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. William H. Vanderbilt, eldest son of Cornelius Vanderbilt, died at 10:15 o'clock last night at the home of his father, Fifty seventh Street and Fifth Avenue. Ward was later prosecuted. His estate was divided among his eight children and his wife, the bulk of the estate going to his eldest two sons, Cornelius and William. Burial. 59th Governor of Rhode Island. With her father dead and her young widowed mother something of a ghost herself, Gloria was raised by nannies in France knowing very little about her Vanderbilt family roots and the money that she was poised to inherit, according to her eulogy that was narrated by her son, viaET. By the 1940s, he reportedly operated about a hundred steamboats and was given the title of "The Commodore" by the public. He was interred in the Vanderbilt family mausoleum at the Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp on Staten Island, New York. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. This record is part of the Catalog of American Portraits, a research archive of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. When William Henry "Billy" Vanderbilt I was born on 8 May 1821, in Somerset, New Jersey, United States, his father, Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt I, was 26 and his mother, Sophia Johnson, was 26. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. The turn of the century, however, saw a push for more public services, as well as a global conflict that was cutting into trade tariffs, as described by Heritage and ThoughtCo. The other associate, Buck Grant, apparently was unaware of Ward's Ponzi scheme swindle. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III (1873-1942), whom he disinherited for marrying Grace Graham Wilson (1870-1953) without his approval. While his sister-in-laws were building some of New York City's biggest mansions, George W. Vanderbilt and his wife Edith looked to Asheville, North Carolina, to build Biltmore. Thanks for your help! Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Male 21 December 1870-23 May 1892 LC6Y-7X8. McLane and Draper were almost beginning to hope, but it was soon evident that it was only a flicker of the candle, and all hope died with the last hemorrhage. In 1934, his cousin on his mother's side . Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Peaking in the 1920s, the transport and freight industry began to slump in the 1930s. ). after which the sufferer passed into a deep sleep, from which he never awoke. When his father passed in 1877, his eldest son William "Billy" Vanderbilt inherited the bulk of his estate, including the 87-percent stake in New York Central, according to Forbes. Two years later, William Henry Vanderbilt died and left the business to his sons William Kissam Vanderbilt (pictured) and Cornelius Vanderbilt II. I knew they had all these houses and they were museums now. As told by Town & Country, Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt was the great-grandson of the Commodore and the younger brother of Cornelius Vanderbilt III and Alfred Vanderbilt. . 0 cemeteries found in New Dorp, Richmond County (Staten Island), New York, USA. William Henry Vanderbilt III. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. In the late 19th century, social and technological changes allowed thousands of families to get ridiculously rich and prosper in a period called the Gilded Age, as described by Time. William Henry Vanderbilt II. Cornelius managed the railroad side of the . "[4], In 1884 the firm Grant & Ward went bankrupt and ruined the investments of both Ulysses S. Grant and Vanderbilt, whom Grant had convinced to invest $150,000. By the time poor health forced him to resign his railroad presidencies in 1883, William Henry had nearly doubled the Vanderbilt family fortune. Vanderbilt later recouped Grant's other mortgaged war memorabilia, including the memorabilia given by Grant, and returned them to Ulysses S. Grant's wife, Julia Grant, after Grant's death in 1885. How The Vanderbilt Family Lost Their Entire Fortune, Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. After William Henry, Cornelius Vanderbilt II was the head of the Vanderbilt family. William Henry Vanderbilt, (born May 8, 1821, New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.died Dec. 8, 1885, New York, N.Y.), American railroad magnate and philanthropist who nearly doubled the Vanderbilt family fortune established and in large part bequeathed to him by his father, Cornelius. William Henry Vanderbilt III (November 24, 1901 - April 14, 1981) was was Governor of Rhode Island and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. She died of cancer in 2019 at the age of 95. In September 2021, Cooper released a book he co-authored with Katherine Howe titled "Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty," where he revealed intimate stories and his thoughts on his ancestors. Upon William's death, the Vanderbilt fortune was passed down to his children. When his father died of a cerebral hemorrhage, Alfred was the primary inheritor of his $72 million estate, according to The Lusitania Resource. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. In an interview in 1985, she said, "I'm not knocking inherited money but the money I've made has a reality to me that inherited money doesn't have. She was Alfred's first wife and the mother of their child, William Henry Vanderbilt III, the fifty-ninth governor of Rhode Island (Author's collection) Alfred inherited his father's 450-acre Oakland Farm in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. A major turning point in their relationship occurred on the family trip to Europe on the steamship Vanderbilt in 1860, after which, the two became very close and Billy was given a greater role in business matters. [citation needed]. In his seagoing global travels, he collected fish and other marine life, birds, invertebrates and cultural artifacts for the personal museum he planned to build on his Long Island estate. ONCE A RAILROAD BUILDER Husband of Former Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt Early Forsook Medicine for Finance", "G. W. Vanderbilt Dies Suddenly. They do not pay. William Henry "Billy" Vanderbilt (May 8, 1821 - December 8, 1885) was an American businessman and philanthropist. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. American industrialist and philanthropist [17941877], American industrialist and philanthropist. About William Henry. During the past few months the young man had been elected to membership in the Knickerbocker, New York Yacht, Seawanhaka Corinthian, Racket and Tennis, Country, Westchester Polo, and Riding Clubs. To his fathers surprise, William made the farm a profitable operation. William Henry Vanderbilt's triple house he lived on the left his two daughters lived on the right. William H. Vanderbilt, eldest son of Cornelius Vanderbilt, died at 10:15 o'clock last night at the home of his father, Fifty seventh Street and Fifth Avenue. William Henry Vanderbilt, 1821 . William Henry Vanderbilt was the oldest son of Cornelius Vanderbilt [1794-1877], the American entrepreneur of both shipping and rail transportation during the 19th century. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Three years later, William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil was born in Biltmore House. William Henry Vanderbilt, (born May 8, 1821, New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.died Dec. 8, 1885, New York, N.Y.), American railroad magnate and philanthropist who nearly doubled the Vanderbilt family fortune established and in large part bequeathed to him by his father, Cornelius. Unfortunately, most of these would be demolished in the late 1920s after being sold to real estate developers. Failed to remove flower. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. They had 2 children. 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) Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942) Flora Whitney-Miller Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1899-1992) Barbara Whitney William Henry Vanderbilt (1821 - 1885) Net Worth: $239 billion How He Made His Money: Inheritance, railroads. How many rooms do you expect to be in this house? Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? For example, after Alva Vanderbilt had her "Petit Chateau" constructed, her sister-in-law, Alice Vanderbilt, set out to build an even larger mansion that ended up being the "largest single family house in New York City at the time." There was an error deleting this problem. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. William H. Vanderbilt, eldest son of Cornelius Vanderbilt, died at 10:15 o'clock last night at the home of his father, Fifty seventh Street and Fifth Avenue. William was a frail youth and did not appear to be the ambitious entrepreneur his father had been at the age of 19. From St. Paul's he went to Yale in 1889, becoming a member of the class of 93. William Henry Vanderbilt (May 8, 1821 December 8, 1885) was an American businessman and philanthropist. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Where the Commodore was abrasive and money-hungry, Billy was more inclined to compromise and saw money as a source of anxiety. Failed to delete memorial. By supporting NNI you help increase awareness of the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland and its legacy in America. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Racing He also built a mansion on Fifth Avenue to display the art he had donated to it. You can always change this later in your Account settings. By the time he retired in 1883 because of ill health he had doubled the Vanderbilt fortune, all in a period of less than ten years. A system error has occurred. The Commodore was known to have made one big donation in 1873: a $1 million gift to Nashville, Tennessee's, Central University, which would then be founded as Vanderbilt University, as explained byBritannica. This was when the mode of transportation was horse and carriage, and the . Cornelius worked his way from the ground up, and at the time of his death in 1877, he reportedly had a net worth of approximately $100 million (about $2.5 billion in today's money), and was the wealthiest man in the United States at that time, according to Business Insider. William Vanderbilt was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey [1] in 1821. Vanderbilt became the richest American after he took over his father's fortune in 1877 until his own death in 1885, passing on a substantial part of . Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Willie had lived there with his wife, Virginia Fair, until their separation, after which he lived primarily . Based on the national gross domestic product per capita ratio at the time of Vanderbilt's death, and the present time, a ratio of about 260, Vanderbilt's estate would be valued at about $52 billion dollars in today's terms. The home has a French Renaissance style and boasts 250 rooms, 65 fireplaces, and 43 bathrooms.