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Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt
JOHN WILMERDING b . 1938 An American art historian who has taught at Dartmouth College and Princeton University and served as senior curator and deputy director at the National Gallery of Art in Washington , D . C . CONNECTION : Wilmerding is the great-greatgrandson ( on his mother ’ s side ) of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt .
TIMOTHY OLYPHANT b . 1968 An actor best known for his starring roles in the television shows “ Deadwood ,” “ Justified ” and “ Santa Clarita Diet ,” as well as the film Catch and Release . CONNECTION : Olyphant is the great-grandson ( times four ) of Cornelius II . Timothy is John Wilmerding ’ s nephew .
NE ( W ) PO BABIES
There ’ s been a lot of talk about nepo ( read : nepotism ) babies lately and the leg up they have in life , and we couldn ’ t resist taking a look at where some of the descendants of Newport ’ s finest ended up . By KAitlyn Murray
THE VANDERBILTS
IF ANY NAME IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE GILDED AGE , IT ’ S THE VANDYBS ( I ’ M SO SORRY ). Hailed as the favorite grandson of family patriarch and wealth builder Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt , Cornelius Vanderbilt II is credited with introducing his prominent family to Newport ’ s social scene . He commissioned the construction of a seventy-room “ cottage ” now known as the Breakers on Bellevue Avenue . The family reigned over the City by the Sea for decades before ultimately turning the property over to the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1972 . While the family no longer has residential ties with its old vacation spot ( an agreement allowed heirs to reside in an upstairs wing until 2018 ), many descendants kept a firm grasp on their relationship with fame .
ANDERSON COOPER b . 1967 An American broadcast journalist and political commentator who currently anchors for CNN and hosts “ Anderson Cooper 360 °.” He also serves as a correspondent for “ 60 Minutes ” on CBS . CONNECTION : Cooper ’ s mother , Gloria Vanderbilt ( an artist , author , actress and fashion designer in her own right ), was the daughter of millionaire equestrian Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt , aka the youngest son of Cornelius II .
JOHN P . HAMMOND b . 1942 A Grammy Award-winning American singer and musician . CONNECTION : His paternal grandmother , Emily Vanderbilt Sloane Hammond , was an author , philanthropist and socialite , likely assisted by the fact that she was the greatgranddaughter of Cornelius II . Fun fact : Hammond ’ s father , also named John P . Hammond , was a successful record producer and talent scout credited with discovering Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan .
JAMES VANDERBILT b . 1975 An American screenwriter and producer best known for penning the films Zodiac , The Amazing Spider-Man and Independence Day : Resurgence . CONNECTION : The only one on this list to retain the Vanderbilt name , he is the grandson of former New York Racing Association chair Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr ., and the great-grandson of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Sr ., Cornelius II ’ s third son who died in the 1915 sinking of the RMS Lusitania .
OTHER NEWPORT NOTABLES
THE ASTOR FAMILY
The Astors were household names not just in Newport high society , but in New York City and England as well . To this day , the family ’ s patriarch , John Jacob Astor , is regarded as one of the wealthiest people in history . His grandson , William Backhouse Astor Jr . — the head of the “ American line ” of Astors — bought Beechwood Man- sion on Bellevue Avenue in 1880 for nearly $ 200,000 ( close to $ 6 million in today ’ s economy ) as a summer and grand party destination . Following his death , the mansion passed to his son , John Jacob Astor IV , who later became known as the richest passenger — and victim — aboard the HMS Titanic . Beechwood remained in the family until it was sold to a non-Astor in 1940 .
An 1893 picnic , including members of the Vanderbilt , Oelrichs and Goelet families .
JAMES SPENCER- CHURCHILL
b . 1955 The Twelfth Duke of Marlborough CONNECTION : The Duke ’ s great-granny was socialite Consuelo Vanderbilt , Commodore Cornelius ’ granddaughter ( and Cornelius II ’ s niece ).
John Jacob Astor
Though the Astor name is lesser known in present-day Newport circles , it still has staying power elsewhere . William Backhouse Astor Jr .’ s nephew , William Waldorf Astor , had a heavy hand in the founding of the famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel , while the “ British line ” of Astors is still going strong with current descendants possessing the noble titles of viscount and baron .
PHOTOGRAPHY ( THIS PAGE FROM LEFT ): COURTESY OF NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY ; NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY ; THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS . ( OPPOSITE PAGE ) THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ; THE VANDERBILT , AUBERGE RESORTS COLLECTION .
64 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2023