Anderson Cooper/Vanderbilt Royalty
George Washington Vanderbilt Family History
George Washington Vanderbilt was born in 1862 to William Henry and Maria Louisa Vanderbilt. George’s family ancestors arrived in America George Washington Vanderbiltaround 1650, emigrating from Holland and settling on Staten Island, New York. The Vanderbilt's were prosperous as farmers but that was all about to change.
In 1810 George’s grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) decide to make a change in the family vocation. At 16 Cornelius borrowed $100 from his mother in order to build a ferry service on New York Bay. That vision of taking to the waterways turned into a trade business that consisted of a fleet of 100 steamboats making trips to Europe and Central America.
This farsighted venture of Cornelius, yielded him a fortune and brought him the enduring title of “Commodore.” Some 50 years later and in control of such wealth, the “Commodore” invested in railroads including the New York Central bringing into his coffers a second fortune, with the sum total of one hundred million dollars. When the “Commodore” departed, he was considered the wealthiest industrialist of the time. During his life the “Commodore” started a family tradition of philanthropy which was continued on by Cornelius’ son, William Henry, who inherited most of his father’s one hundred million dollars.
William Henry (1821-1885) was George Washington Vanderbilt's father. The “Commodore” wasn’t so sure William Henry had his sense for business, although driven by his father’s example of stepping higher than the last Vanderbilt, William Henry doubled the family’s assets as a financier.
The lives of Cornelius “Commodore” and William Henry Vanderbilt are a fascinating slice of American history. In a land of opportunity, they became a royal family. Wealth, power and influence led then into the world of the socially elite. A world that often made it difficult on the newly wealthy. The Vanderbilt's proved that new American fortunes overrode the order of old society bloodlines.
With his inheritance from William Henry’s fortune, George took to an even greater height, the qualities the Vanderbilt's displayed in regards to their personal American aristocracy.
More here,
https://theblueridgehighlander.com/Biltmore_Estate/Vanderbilt_family_history.php
Gloria Vanderbilt
Great-great-granddaughter of "The Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of her family's fortune. Her maternal aunt, Lady Thelma Furness, was a mistress of King Edward VIII of Great Britain. Gloria is a close cousin of the British Dukes of Marlborough.
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IMDb Mini Biography By: Nichol
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0888742/bio