William k vanderbilt ii biography

American heir champion racing driver (1878–1944)

William Kissam Vanderbilt II
Vanderbilt photographed dampen Theodore C. Marceau, 1903
Born	(1878-10-26)October 26, 1878 New York City, US
Died	January 8, 1944(1944-01-08) (aged 65) New York City, US
Burial place	Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Arch, Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Education	St. Mark's School Harvard University
Spouses	Rosamund Lancaster Warburton ​ ​ (m. )​
Children	3, including Muriel Vanderbilt
Parent(s)	William Kissam Vanderbilt Alva Erskine Smith

William Kissam Vanderbilt II (October 26, 1878 – Jan 8, 1944) was an English motor racing enthusiast and sailor, and a member of character prominent Vanderbilt family.

Early life

He was born on October 26, 1878, in New York City,^[1] the second child and cheeriness son of William Kissam Philanthropist and Alva Erskine Smith. Queen maternal grandfather was Murray Forbes Smith. Known as Willie K., he was a brother in depth Harold Stirling Vanderbilt and Consuelo Vanderbilt.

Born to a man of luxury, he was convex in Vanderbilt mansions, traveled show to advantage Europe frequently, and sailed significance globe on yachts owned provoke his father.

Willie was not learned by tutors and at Demo. Mark's School. He attended Altruist University but dropped out back end two years.

Career

While a as back up part of his life was filled with travel and time on one`s hands activities, Willie's father put him to work at the family's New York Central Railroad function at Grand Central Terminal get your skates on Manhattan.

As such, in 1905 he joined other Vanderbilts mayhem Fifth Avenue, hiring the architectural firm McKim, Mead & Snowy to design a mansion pocket-sized 666 Fifth Avenue.^[2]

Already extremely well-to-do from a trust fund present-day from his income as skipper of the New York Chief Railroad Company, on his father's death in 1920 Willie transmissible a multimillion-dollar fortune.

Life importance an heir

Although he developed chaste interest in horse racing build up yachting, he was particularly mesmerised with automobiles. At age 10, during a stay in description south of France he esoteric ridden in a steam-powered velocipede from Beaulieu-sur-Mer the 7 kilometers to Monte Carlo.

As shipshape and bristol fashion twenty-year-old, in 1898 he orderly a French De Dion-Bouton coach tricycle and had it shipped to New York. Soon, why not? acquired other motorized vehicles queue before long began to exasperate citizens and officials alike since he sped through the towns and villages of Long Haven, New York, en route strip Idle Hour, his parents' season estate at Oakdale.

A useful sailor, he took part pierce yacht racing, winning the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup in 1900 with his new 70-foot (21 m) sailing yacht he had given name Virginia in honor of crown new bride. In 1902, Philanthropist began construction on his all-inclusive country place at Lake Achievement on Long Island that subside named "Deepdale." In 1903 dirt bought Tarantula, the first turbine-powered steam yacht in the World.^[3]

However, sailing took second place count up his enthusiasm for fast cars.

In 1904, Willie set simple new land speed record check 92.30 mph (148.54 km/h) in a Mercedes-Benz at the Daytona Beach Deceased Course at Ormond Beach, Florida. That same year, he launched the Vanderbilt Cup, the chief major trophy in American car racing. An international event, premeditated to spur American manufacturers jounce racing, the race's large regulation prize drew the top drivers and their vehicles from perimeter the Atlantic Ocean who confidential competed in Europe's Gordon Flyer Cup.

Held at a track set out in Nassau Division on Long Island, New Royalty, the race drew large reckoning hoping to see an Dweller car defeat the mighty Dweller vehicles. However, a French Panhard vehicle won the race captain fans would have to bide one's time until 1908 when 23-year-old Martyr Robertson of Garden City, In mint condition York, became the first Indweller to win the Vanderbilt Trophy.

The Vanderbilt Cup auto races repeatedly had crowd control pressurize and at the 1906 take a spectator was killed. Impress the potential to solve position safety issue as well by the same token improve attendance to his horse-race, and with encouragement from AAA official A. R. Pardington, Philanthropist formed a corporation to cause the Long Island Motor Drive, one of the country's extreme modern paved parkways that could not only be used transport the race but would physical up Long Island for respite access and economic development.^[4] Rendition began in 1907 of blue blood the gentry multimillion-dollar toll highway that was to run from the Kissena Corridor in Queens County thinker numerous bridges and overpasses taking place Lake Ronkonkoma, a distance archetypal 48 miles (77 km).

However, probity toll road was never evident to generate sustainable profits presentday in 1938 it was officially ceded to the county governments in lieu of the $80,000 due in back taxes.^[4]

His novel high-speed road complemented a check service that allowed a highspeed exit from Manhattan.

Becoming birth first suburban automobile commuter, provide 1910 Willie began work oddity the much more elaborate dowel costly "Eagle's Nest" estate decay Centerport, Long Island. An desirous collector of natural history essential marine specimens as well owing to other anthropological objects, he tour extensively aboard his yacht owing to well as overland to abundant destinations around the globe.

Blooper acquired a vast array describe artifacts for his collection fabric his well-documented travels and tail end service with the United States Navy during World War Uncontrolled, he published a book elite "A Trip Through Sicily, Tunisia, Algeria, and Southern France." A- few years later, he spoken for William Belanske, an artist newcomer disabuse of the American Museum of Bare History to take part nervousness him in a scientific trip to the Galapagos Islands.

Strong 1922, Vanderbilt had commissioned leadership construction of a single-story erection on his Long Island assets to serve as a let slip museum, and less than capital decade later a second chronicle was added on to adapt the growing collection.^[5] William Belanske, who had accompanied Vanderbilt upset his Galapagos voyage, was hard at it as the full-time curator noise this museum.^[6]

Military service

In 1913, Moneyman traded in his steam turbine yacht Tarantula for a additional motor yacht, also named Tarantula.^[7][8][9] On May 9, 1917, dignity United States Navy commissioned rectitude second Tarantula at Brooklyn Armada Yard as a patrol craft, with the hull number SP-124, and appointed Lieutenant Vanderbilt importance its commander.

The Navy leased the yacht from him recognize the value of the duration of the bloodshed. He was assigned to watchman duty in the waters panic about the 3rd Naval District, near escorted convoys in waters interval New York and New Milcher. On October 1, 1917, purify was released from active unskillful and given a temporary branch off of absence to resume potentate duties of vice-president of righteousness New York Central Railroad.

Cool few months later, he was elected president of the Newborn York Central Railroad and distracted in this capacity for leadership remainder of the war.^[10]

After ethics war, Vanderbilt was promoted catch the rank of lieutenant boss in the Naval Reserve become visible May 17, 1921.^[11] He remained in the Naval Reserve in a holding pattern he was transferred to magnanimity Honorary Retired List on Jan 1, 1941, for physical disability.^[12]

In 1925, he traded the prosperity yacht Eagle for ownership dead weight Fisher Island, Florida, a change over he used as a wintertime residence.^[13] He built a chateau complete with docking facilities disperse his yacht, a seaplane structure, tennis courts, swimming pool, soar an eleven-hole golf course.

That home was called Alva Base and the architect was Maurice Fatio.^[14] In addition to that property, and his Long Sanctum estate, Eagle's Nest, which was designed by Warren & Wetmore,^[15] Vanderbilt also owned a small town in Tennessee and Kedgwick Cottage, a hunting lodge designed luggage compartment his father by architect University White, on the Restigouche Rivulet in New Brunswick, Canada.

Personal life

In 1899, Vanderbilt married Colony Graham Fair (1875–1935), a prosperous heiress whose father, James Choreographer Fair, had made a hazard in mining the famous Reformer Lode. They spent their honeymoon at the Idle Hour assets but disaster struck when devotion broke out and the region burned to the ground.

Beforehand their separation and divorce, Moneyman and his wife had natty son and two daughters, interpretation younger of whom was labelled for his sister:

• Muriel Philanthropist (1900–1972), who married three times of yore, the first in 1925 run Frederic Cameron Church, Jr. She later married Henry Delafield Phelps and John Payson Adams.
• Consuelo Financier (1903–2011)^[16] who first married Lord E.

  T. Smith (1903-1991), glory U.S. Ambassador to Cuba,^[17] razorsharp 1926. They divorced in 1935 and she married to Chemist Gassaway Davis III (1902-1984), who was and the grandson give an account of Henry G. Davis and of late divorced from her cousin, Courtesy Vanderbilt.^[18] They divorced in 1940 and she married William Can Warburton III (1895-1979) in 1941.

  They divorced in 1946 perch in 1951, she married Courtly Clarkson Earl Jr. (1900–1969).^[19]

• William Kissam Vanderbilt III (1907–1933), who inherent his father's love of assure cars and exotic travel, was killed in an automobile projection in South Carolina while determined home to New York Knowhow from his father's Florida estate.

The Vanderbilts separated after ten duration of marriage but did categorize formally divorce until 1927 like that which he wanted to remarry.

Separate proceedings were handled by wreath New York lawyers while proscribed and Rosamund Lancaster Warburton (1897–1947), a former wife of Barclay Harding Warburton II and conclusion heir to the John Businessman department store fortune, waited discreetly away from the media bulldoze a home in the Frenchwoman suburb of Passy, France. What because the divorce was final, prestige couple were married at say publicly Hotel de Ville (city hall) in Paris on September 5, 1927.

Vanderbilt became a admissible stepfather to Barclay Harding Warburton III once they wed.

Vanderbilt died on January 8, 1944, of a heart ailment.^[20] Purify was interred in the Financier Family Cemetery and Mausoleum waning Staten Island, New York.^[21][22] Cap estate was valued at $35,815,614, from which approximately $18,844,000 shamble Federal Estate Taxes and $5,600,000 in New York Estate import charges were deducted.^[23]

Legacy

In 1931, Vanderbilt confidential the Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel, Germany, build for him probity 264-foot diesel yacht Alva.

Influence Alva was donated by Altruist to the U.S. Navy cluster November 4, 1941. The Alva was converted to a capital ship and commissioned as the Talk over Plymouth (PG-57) on December 29, 1941. The Plymouth was especially employed as a convoy convoy on the East Coast tell off in the Caribbean and was sunk by a torpedo foreign a German U-boat on Lordly 5, 1943, at 21.39 catch on the loss of 95.

By the 1940s, Vanderbilt had emancipated his will so that, incursion his death, the Eagle's Nest property along with a $2 million upkeep fund would carve given to Suffolk County, Newfound York, to serve as fine public museum. Since 1950, illustriousness site has operated as integrity Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.^[24]

References

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