William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil

William Cecil was the younger son of John Francis Amherst Cecil (1890–1954) and Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (1900–1976). He was the grandson of George Washington Vanderbilt II, and the great-grandson of William Henry Vanderbilt. His great great grandfather was railroad and steamship baron, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt.

William A. V. Cecil was a direct descendant of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, through his grandparents, Lord William Cecil and Mary Rothes Margaret Cecil, Baroness Amherst of Hackney. Cecil, an English statesman, was chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–53 and 1558–72) and Lord High Treasurer from 1572.

Cecil was a graduate of Harvard University. Upon the death of his mother, he inherited the Biltmore Estate once his elder brother, George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil, chose to take charge of the family dairy (known as Biltmore Farms) which was much more profitable at the time. He successfully transformed Biltmore into a popular North Carolina tourist attraction and built a profitable winery on the grounds.

Cecil's widow, Mary Lee Ryan, was a first cousin of First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as their mothers, Janet Norton Lee and Marion Merritt Lee, were sisters.[1]

Cecil's son, Bill Cecil Jr., serves as President and CEO of The Biltmore Company today. His daughter-in-law, Virginia Cecil, oversees the equestrian center at the estate and is on the Biltmore board of directors.[2]