, built in 1893 by
Richard Morris Hunt On February 4, 1867, he married
Alice Claypoole Gwynne (1845–1934), daughter of Abraham Evan Gwynne and Rachel Moore Flagg. The two met at
St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church where both taught
Sunday school. , 1932 Together, they had seven children: •
Gertrude Vanderbilt (1875–1942), who married
Harry Payne Whitney (1872–1930) •
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877–1915), who died aboard the
RMS Lusitania, and who married Ellen French, and after their divorce, Margaret Emerson (1884–1960). •
Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880–1925), who first married society debutante Cathleen Neilson, and later Gloria Morgan. •
Gladys Moore Vanderbilt (1886–1965), who married
Count László Széchenyi (1879–1938). A stroke in 1896 compelled him to reduce his active business involvement. He died of a
cerebral hemorrhage shortly after 6 a.m. on September 12, 1899, at his
home on West Fifty-seventh Street in
Manhattan, New York City. Upon his death, family leadership passed to his first brother,
William Kissam Vanderbilt.
Estate Vanderbilt's philanthropy had been such that he did not increase the wealth that had been left to him. In dollars, $73 million is equivalent to $. In the weeks following Cornelius Vanderbilt II's death, the terms of his will sparked a minor controversy within New York society when it was revealed that Vanderbilt's eldest surviving son, Cornelius Vanderbilt III, was to receive a substantially smaller share of his estate compared to his siblings. In his place Vanderbilt's second surviving son, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, was named as the principal beneficiary, inheriting over half of the fortune as well as the Gold Congressional Medallion awarded to his grandfather, 'Commodore' Cornelius Vanderbilt I, by the United States Congress—an heirloom which had come to symbolise headship of the Vanderbilt family. The final version of the will bore the date 18 June 1896, the same day originally intended for the wedding of Cornelius Vanderbilt III to Grace Wilson despite his parents' disapproval of the union. Under the terms of the Will, the bulk of Vanderbilt's estate was divided amongst his widow and children: • His widow,
Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt received an income of $250,000 annually for her life from a $7,000,000 Trust Fund, which she had the power to bequeath amongst their descendants under her Will in whatever proportions she saw fit. Alice also received $2,000,000 outright, the Family's Box at the Metropolitan Opera, a life interest in their Newport Estate
The Breakers, and a life interest in their Manhattan Townhouse
Cornelius Vanderbilt II House at 1 West 57th Street, Manhattan. The Will also gave Alice the power to leave their Newport and Manhattan homes to any of their children. • His elder daughter
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney received a $5,000,000 Trust Fund and $2,250,000 outright • His two youngest children
Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt and
Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi each received $1,250,000 and a $5,000,000 Trust Fund • His eldest son
Cornelius Vanderbilt III received a far smaller bequest than his siblings; $500,000 outright and a $1,000,000 Trust Fund • His second-eldest son
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Sr received a $5,000,000 Trust Fund, a specific bequest of $1,250,000, The Oakland Farm Estate in Rhode Island, as well as the Residuary Estate, reportedly valued at $28,000,000 to $35,000,000. In the weeks following Vanderbilt's death it became publicly known that Alfred had gifted his elder brother
Cornelius Vanderbilt III $6,000,000 from his own inheritance to provide Cornelius with an inheritance of an equal size to that of their other siblings.
Real estate on West
57th Street, New York The
Fifth Avenue mansions that Cornelius Vanderbilt II, his brothers, and his sons lived in have been demolished, including
Cornelius Vanderbilt II House. His 70-room summer residence,
The Breakers in
Newport, Rhode Island, still stands as a memory of his lifestyle. It is today operated as a
historic house museum. The 1864 Congressional Gold Medal which had been awarded to Cornelius' grandfather, which Cornelius Vanderbilt II in turn bequeathed to his second son
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, later passed to Alfred's oldest son
William Henry Vanderbilt III in 1915, and then to his only son William Henry Vanderbilt IV in 1981. William H. Vanderbilt IV donated the medal and several other family heirlooms to
Vanderbilt University in 2022. ==See also==