New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-23
W XIV anderbilt
Dies Suddenly
In Paris Home

~, peheo 10 feilnqulsn permanently
uue major part of his business work
snu power; Nominally he remained at
the mead. but virtually from that time
forward William K. Vanderbilt was the
business leader of the family and Of
me railroad system. Three years later
cornelius Vanderbilt died, and his
younger brother assumed his place
Tree and unfettered to carry out his
own policies in the management of the
vast interests thus confded to his
charge. No
vanderbilt in Looks and Action
he was then just fifty years old; a
true Vanderbilt in looks, with clearly
shaven face, slightly curling hair. ex-
presslve eyes, firm, strong features;
quick, magnetic action and restless
energy. For years ne had been IA
mlllarly known as willie K" name
Which chung to him long thereafter.
Unlike his elder brother, however. he
had no taste for details. but loved to
deal with big things, leaving the min
utl@ to subordinates. In his personal
as we'll as his business affairs he dis
played this trait.
tie built at Fifth Avenue and Fifty
nrst Street mansion which was one
OF the show places of New York Citv.
ne oulit the Marble House at Newport.
IMAM which there are few finer in the
country. He Established a country
pace at lsllp, L. H. and built an enor-
nous, roomy, rambling house upon it.
When this burned he was in Europe,
out WITHIN short time after his re-
turn large force of men were at work
10 rebuild 1t. He built a yacht which
ne named after his wife. Later he
built one of the finest pleasure craft
IN the world, and called it the Valiant.
he explored many parts of the world,
ana made tour through Russia in a
private train at time when no one
outside of royalty was supposed to do
such things in that country.
1t was under his direction Of affairs
that the Vanderbilt railroad interests
were largely surrendered, voluntarily,
to what was described as the Rookie
teller NJ organ-P enns ylvania combina-
ton. That was in the spring Of 1908
For long time there had been close
corporations between the Vanderbilt
and Pennsylvania Railroad systems
and members of the Vanderbilt family
were the largest individual holders Of Of
Pennsylvania stock. But the manage
ment OF the great properties had for
some time been irksome to Mr.. Van
derbllt and he wished to be rid of the
responsibilities which it entailed. So
while the actual ownership of the chief
Vanderbilt roads remained unchanged,
the practical management was trans
terred TO other hands.
Director of Many Roads
Still Mr. Vanderbilt remained di-
rector of numerous roads, including
the New York Central & Hudson River
Railroad, the Lake Shore &, Michigan
Southern Railroad the Michigan Cen
tral Railroad, the New York, Chicago
& st. Louis Railroad, the Pittsburgh &
Lake Erie Railroad, the Cleveland,
Cincinnati, Chicago & st. Louis Rail-
road, the Lake Erie g. Western Rail
Railroad, the Chicago & North Vest
ern Railroad, the Rutland Railroad,
the New York G. Ottawa Railroad, the
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis &
Omaha Railroad, the Lake Alliance &
Wheeling Railroad and the Dunkirk,
Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh Rail
road.
For long time, at the wish of his
mother, he refrained from any extern
| sive operations on the turf, but later
he established an important racing
nomenal success. His horses won the
Grand Prix and nearly every other
important prize on the French turf,
and also gave a good account of them
selves in England.
Mr.. Vanderbilt was a great lover of
yachting and took a keen interest in
the defense of the Americas Cup. He
was q member of the syndicate which
built and sailed the Defender. which
successfully defended the cup in 1896.
He was member of a number of
the best clubs both in this country
and abroad, and was a founder of the
Metropolitan Club of New York
Among others with which he was &C
lively connected are the Knickerbocker
Club, the Racquet and Tennis Club,
the Jockey Club, the Metropolitan
Club, the South Side Club, the New
York Yacht Club, the Knollwood Club,
the Meadow Brook Country Club, the
Players, the Turf Club, the Country
Club and the Larchmont Yacht Club.
Helped Found Vanderbilt Clinic
He was for many years much inter
ested in charitable and educational
work and gave freely for such pur-
poses. With his brothers he founded
the Vanderbilt Clinic in this city, at a
cost of more than half a million dol
lars, an institution which has been of
inestimable benefit to the poor of New
York. He gave Vanderbilt University
new dormitory at cost of 100000
and he paid $113,750 toward the cost
of the Drexel property for Columbia
University He was one of the lead
ing directors of the Metropolitan Opera
Company and valuable patron of the
opera.
During the war Mr.. Vanderbilt was
active in hospital work and relief
abroad and in promoting the work of
the Lafayette Escadrille. On one &C
casion he contributed 1000 to the
Neuilly Hospital Fund and at another
time gave 100000 lire toward war re-
lief in Italy. Because of his work for
the American aviators in France he
was made honorary president of the
Lafayette Escadrille and in recogni-
ton of his services received the deco
ration of the Legion of Honor.
Mr.. Vanderbilt was twice married.
His first wife, in 1874, was Miss Alva
Murray Smith, of Mobile, Ala, who
bore him three children. She pro-
cured a divorce from him and after
ward became the wife of Oliver H. P.
Belmont. His second wife, who sur
wives him, was Mrs. Ann Hartman
Sands Rutherfurd, whom he married
in London in 1908. His three children
are Consuelo, born in 1877, who in
1895 married the Duke Of Marlborough;
William Nissan Vanderbilt jr., born in
1878, married to Miss Virginia Fair,
and prominent in the railroad and in
dustrial world and Harold S. Van
derbilt, born in 1884, who also is
prominently connected with many rail-
road and other corporations.