George Washington Vanderbilt III (1914–June 24, 1961) was a yachtsman and a scientific explorer who was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.
Born in New York city, he was the son of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and his second wife, Margaret Emerson. He was named in honor of his great-great-uncle George Washington Vanderbilt and his great-uncle George Washington Vanderbilt II. He was the brother of Alfred G. Vanderbilt II and a h...
more
George Washington Vanderbilt III (1914–June 24, 1961) was a yachtsman and a scientific explorer who was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.
Born in New York city, he was the son of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and his second wife, Margaret Emerson. He was named in honor of his great-great-uncle George Washington Vanderbilt and his great-uncle George Washington Vanderbilt II. He was the brother of Alfred G. Vanderbilt II and a half-brother to William Henry Vanderbilt III from his father's first marriage. His father perished in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915 when George was only a year old.
His mother remarried two more times and had a daughter, Gloria Baker. Vanderbilt's maternal grandfather, Isaac E. Emerson, was a very wealthy businessman who made a fortune in a variety of business ventures including patent medicines, the most notable of which was Bromo-Seltzer. A sailing enthusiast, Emerson instilled a love for the sport in young George from an early age...
less
