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People and sources of the Vanderbilt family tree

This page lists the 23 people on the chart of the Vanderbilt family tree and the 23 numbered sources its article cites. It also gives the credits of the portraits and the article as a reference in four styles. The chart and the article have a page of their own.

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Twenty-three people

Everyone on the Vanderbilt family tree

Each person on this Vanderbilt family tree has a row. Choose a period to list the people alive in it.

Who was alive

All 23 people on the chart are listed.

The people on the chart, in the order of its rows.
PortraitPersonYearsLifeOn the chart
Portrait of Cornelius VanderbiltCornelius VanderbiltThe Commodore1794–1877Founded the fortune.

Sources7

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Portrait of Sophia JohnsonSophia JohnsonFirst wife1795?–1868Mother of thirteen.

Sources57

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Portrait of William Henry VanderbiltWilliam Henry VanderbiltSon and heir1821–1885Doubled the fortune.

Sources8

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Portrait of Maria Louisa KissamMaria Louisa KissamHis wife1821–1896Mother of nine.

Sources8

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Portrait of Alice Claypoole GwynneAlice Claypoole GwynneWife of Cornelius II1845–1934Of The Breakers.

Sources9

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Portrait of Cornelius Vanderbilt IICornelius Vanderbilt IIGrandson1843–1899Built The Breakers.

Sources19

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Portrait of William Kissam VanderbiltWilliam Kissam VanderbiltGrandson1849–1920Built Marble House.

Sources10

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Portrait of Alva Erskine SmithAlva Erskine SmithWife of William Kissam1853–1933A suffrage leader.

Sources11

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Portrait of Frederick William VanderbiltFrederick William VanderbiltGrandson1856–1938Built Hyde Park.

Sources12

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Portrait of Louise AnthonyLouise AnthonyWife of Frederick1854–1926Married in 1878.

Sources12

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Portrait of George Washington Vanderbilt IIGeorge Washington Vanderbilt IIGrandson1862–1914Built Biltmore.

Sources1314

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Portrait of Edith Stuyvesant DresserEdith Stuyvesant DresserWife of George1873–1958Married in 1898.

Sources13

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Portrait of Gertrude Vanderbilt WhitneyGertrude Vanderbilt WhitneySculptor1875–1942Founded the Whitney Museum.

Sources15

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Portrait of Alfred Gwynne VanderbiltAlfred Gwynne VanderbiltHead of the branch1877–1915Lost on the Lusitania.

Sources16

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Portrait of Reginald VanderbiltReginald VanderbiltFather of Gloria1880–1925Died at 45.

Sources17

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Portrait of Gloria MorganGloria MorganMother of Gloria1904–1965Lost custody in 1934.

Sources21

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Portrait of Consuelo VanderbiltConsuelo VanderbiltDuchess of Marlborough1877–1964Married in 1895.

Sources18

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Portrait of Harold Stirling VanderbiltHarold Stirling VanderbiltYachtsman1884–1970Won the America’s Cup.

Sources19

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Portrait of Cornelia VanderbiltCornelia VanderbiltHeir of Biltmore1900–1976Opened it to visitors.

Sources1420

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Portrait of Gloria VanderbiltGloria VanderbiltArtist and designer1924–2019Married four times.

Sources21

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Portrait of Wyatt CooperWyatt CooperWriter1927–1978Her fourth husband.

Sources22

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CVCarter Vanderbilt CooperElder son1965–1988Born in 1965.

Sources21

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ACAnderson CooperJournalist1967–At CNN since 2001.

Sources23

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For a paper or a lesson

Cite, print and download

The article is unsigned, so the site stands as author and the date is its last revision. Cite the numbered sources for the facts and the article for the chart. Each reference gives the address of the article.

  • APAGenogram Builder. (2026, November 10). The Vanderbilt family tree, from the Commodore to Anderson Cooper. https://genogrambuilder.org/history/vanderbilt-family-tree
  • MLA“The Vanderbilt Family Tree, from the Commodore to Anderson Cooper.” Genogram Builder, 10 Nov. 2026, https://genogrambuilder.org/history/vanderbilt-family-tree.
  • ChicagoGenogram Builder. “The Vanderbilt Family Tree, from the Commodore to Anderson Cooper.” Last modified November 10, 2026. https://genogrambuilder.org/history/vanderbilt-family-tree.
  • HarvardGenogram Builder (2026) The Vanderbilt Family Tree, from the Commodore to Anderson Cooper. Available at: https://genogrambuilder.org/history/vanderbilt-family-tree (Accessed: 10 November 2026).

The files are drawn in this browser from the chart of the article, with the credit of every portrait under it.

Numbered

Sources

Every source was opened on 10 November 2026. The Preservation Society, the Park Service and Biltmore are cited for the houses.

Preservation Society of Newport County

  1. The Breakers
  2. Marble House

Biltmore

  1. Our story

National Park Service

  1. Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, History and culture

Wikidata

  1. Sophia Johnson

Wikipedia

  1. Vanderbilt family
  2. Cornelius Vanderbilt
  3. William Henry Vanderbilt
  4. Cornelius Vanderbilt II
  5. William Kissam Vanderbilt
  6. Alva Belmont
  7. Frederick William Vanderbilt
  8. George Washington Vanderbilt II
  9. Biltmore Estate
  10. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
  11. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
  12. Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt
  13. Consuelo Vanderbilt
  14. Harold Stirling Vanderbilt
  15. Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil
  16. Gloria Vanderbilt
  17. Wyatt Cooper
  18. Anderson Cooper

Portrait credits

Each name leads to the file on Wikimedia Commons. The portraits in the article are in the public domain or under CC0.

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