William Henry Vanderbilt III (November 24, 1901 – April 14, 1981) was an American statesman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.
Born in New York City, he was the son of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and Ellen French. Vanderbilt's father was a great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the family fortune in railroads and shipping. William Vanderbilt's parents divorced in 1908 and through his father's second marriage ...
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William Henry Vanderbilt III (November 24, 1901 – April 14, 1981) was an American statesman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.
Born in New York City, he was the son of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and Ellen French. Vanderbilt's father was a great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the family fortune in railroads and shipping. William Vanderbilt's parents divorced in 1908 and through his father's second marriage he had two half-brothers, Alfred G. Vanderbilt II, and George Washington Vanderbilt III. In 1915, his father perished in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. In 1934, his cousin on his mother's side, Ellen Tuck French, married John Jacob Astor VI, bringing together two of America's most famous families.
Educated at St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island and the Evans School in Mesa, Arizona, he attended Princeton University but dropped out during his first year. In 1940, Vanderbilt received an LL.D. from Bates College. At age of maturity...
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