Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty

by Anderson Cooper

When Cornelius II died, he left an estate valued at roughly $70 million, according to the New York Times. That’s about $2.2 billion today. What the papers called his “favored” children—nineteen-year-old Reginald, Gertrude (by then Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney), and Gladys—each came away with an estimated $7.3 million. Neily was “cut off” with only $1.5 million. The vast lion’s share, estimated by the Times at around $35 million, fell to Alfred, who gave a further $6 million to Neily so he would be equal with the other siblings. Alfred also was awarded the gold medal given to the Commodore at the conclusion of the Civil War, with the request that it be passed to his eldest son. A clearer marker of the head of the Vanderbilt family could scarcely be conceived. Upon the reading of his father’s will, Alfred found himself the richest young man in America.