Grace Vanderbilt
Grace Graham Wilson Vanderbilt (September 3, 1870 – January 7, 1953) was an American socialite. She was the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt III.[1] She was one of the last Vanderbilts to live the luxurious life of the "head of society" that her predecessors such as Alice and Alva Vanderbilt enjoyed.[2]
Grace Vanderbilt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Grace Graham Wilson September 3, 1870 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 1953 (aged 82) New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | Moravian Cemetery |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Cornelius Vanderbilt IV Grace Vanderbilt |
| Parent(s) | Richard Thornton Wilson Melissa Clementine Johnston |
| Relatives | Mary Wilson Goelet (sister) Richard Thornton Wilson Jr. (brother) Marshall Orme Wilson (brother) Mary Goelet (niece) |
Early years
Grace was born on September 3, 1870 at 512 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. She was the youngest child of New York banker Richard Thornton Wilson and Melissa Clementine Johnston.[3] Grace's sister Mary ("May") married Ogden Goelet and her sister Belle married Sir Michael Henry Herbert, younger brother of the 13th Earl of Pembroke. The sisters were known in London society as "the marrying Wilsons." One of her brothers was banker Richard Thornton Wilson Jr.. Another brother, Marshall Orme Wilson, married Caroline "Carrie" Astor, youngest daughter of William Backhouse Astor Jr. and Caroline Webster Schermerhorn of the Astor family.[2]
Personal life
She eloped with Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III (1873–1942), son of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and Alice Claypoole Gwynne of the Vanderbilt family, in 1896. This led to a violent disagreement between Neily and his father, which lasted many years.[3] Neily and Grace remained married for the rest of their lives and had two children:[2]
- Cornelius Vanderbilt IV (1898–1974), who married seven times throughout his lifetime, but had no children.[4]
- Grace Vanderbilt (1899–1964), who married Henry Gassaway Davis (1902–1984) in 1927. They divorced in 1936 and she married Robert Livingston Stevens (1907–1972).[5]
Grace and Neily rented Beaulieu House in Newport, Rhode Island, the former home of John Jacob Astor III.[2]
Following World War I, Grace and Neily frequently returned to Europe, becoming friends and guests of numerous members of European royalty including Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and his brother, Prince Henry of Prussia, King Albert I of Belgium, Crown Prince Olav of Norway, Queen Marie of Romania, the Shah of Iran, and every British monarch since Queen Victoria.[3]
In 1940, Neily sold his Fifth Avenue mansion, which he inherited from his uncle George Washington Vanderbilt II upon his death in 1914, in New York City to members of the Astor family but remained living there until his death from a cerebral hemorrhage while vacationing in Miami Beach, Florida aboard his yacht in 1942. Following Neily's death Grace Vanderbilt was forced to move out of their massive Fifth Avenue mansion, and moved into the William Starr Miller House at 1048 Fifth Avenue which still stands today as the Neue Galerie.[2]
Death and legacy
Grace lived another eleven years, and she died on January 7, 1953.[6] They are buried together in the Vanderbilt family mausoleum in the Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp on Staten Island, New York.[2]
References
- "Grace Vanderbilt Wed In City Chapel. Becomes Bride of Henry G. Davis 3d, With Patrolman as a Witness. Church Ceremony Later. Cornelius Jr. Declares Family Refuses Forgiveness. Honeymoon in Far West. Grace Vanderbilt Wed In City Chapel". The New York Times. June 29, 1927. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- Vanderbilt, Arthur T. (1991). Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. Harper Collins. ISBN 9780688103866. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- "Quality". Time magazine. January 19, 1953. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
The elder Vanderbilts never really forgave the young couple. Neily's inheritance from his father was cut to $1,500,000 — though brother Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, who fell heir to the bulk of the estate, evened things up somewhat by giving Cornelius another $6,000,000. Cornelius' mother, who made little secret of the fact that she regarded her daughter-in-law as a climber, did nothing to ease Grace into the charmed circle of the elite.....
- "Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., Newsman, Author, Dead. | Broke Family Tradition | Became a Reporter | Very Difficult Time". New York Times. July 8, 1974. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., author and former newspaperman, died here today at his home. He was 76 years old. Mr. Vanderbilt was married seven times. He is survived by his widow, Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr.
- "Mrs. R. L. Stevens, a Society Figure". The New York Times. January 29, 1964. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- "Mrs. C. Vanderbilt Dies At Home Here. Leader of New York, Newport Society for Many Years Was Hostess to Royal Figures". New York Times. January 8, 1953. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, still recognized as the leader of New York and Newport society although inactive in recent years, died of pneumonia last night at her home, 1048 Fifth Avenue. She was believed to have been in her eighty-third year.....
