Vanderbilt : the rise and fall of an American dynasty

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Title:

Vanderbilt : the rise and fall of an American dynasty

Alternate title:

Rise and fall of an American dynasty

Author:

Cooper, Anderson, author.

Howe, Katherine, 1977- author.

Summary:

"When eleven-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt began to work on his father’s small boat ferrying supplies in New York Harbor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, no one could have imagined that one day he would, through ruthlessness, cunning, and a pathological desire for money, build two empires—one in shipping and another in railroads—that would make him the richest man in America. His staggering fortune was fought over by his heirs after his death in 1877, sowing familial discord that would never fully heal. Though his son Billy doubled the money left by “the Commodore,” subsequent generations competed to find new and ever more extraordinary ways of spending it. By 2018, when the last Vanderbilt was forced out of The Breakers—the seventy-room summer estate in Newport, Rhode Island, that Cornelius’s grandson and namesake had built—the family would have been unrecognizable to the tycoon who started it all. Now, the Commodore’s great-great-great-grandson Anderson Cooper, joins with historian Katherine Howe to explore the story of his legendary family and their outsized influence. Cooper and Howe breathe life into the ancestors who built the family’s empire, basked in the Commodore’s wealth, hosted lavish galas, and became synonymous with unfettered American capitalism and high society. Moving from the hardscrabble wharves of old Manhattan to the lavish drawing rooms of Gilded Age Fifth Avenue, from the ornate summer palaces of Newport to the courts of Europe, and all the way to modern-day New York, Cooper and Howe wryly recount the triumphs and tragedies of an American dynasty unlike any other. Written with a unique insider’s viewpoint, this is a rollicking, quintessentially American history as remarkable as the family it so vividly captures." -- Amazon.com.

General Note:

Color illustrations on endpapers.

Edition:

First edition.

Contents:

Prologue. The Breakers: March 30, 2018 -- The tycoon: January 4, 1877 -- Van der Bilt: c. 1660 -- The Blatherskite and the namesake: April 2, 1882 -- Society as I have found it: October 22, 1883 -- Venetian princesses: March 26, 1883 -- American royalty: November 6, 1895 -- Failure is impossible: May 4, 1912 -- Down with the ship: May 1915 -- Standing in a cold shower, tearing up hundred-thousand-dollar bills: September 15, 1934 -- Living a Roman à Clef: November 21, 1934 -- Gloria at La Côte Basque: November 28, 1966 -- The last Vanderbilt: October 28, 1978, and June 17, 2019 -- Epilogue. Christmas Eve, 1930.

Physical Description:

317 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), genealogical table, color map ; 24 cm

Genre:

Biographies.

Personal Subject:

Vanderbilt family.

Vanderbilt, Cornelius, 1794-1877.

Vanderbilt, Gloria, 1924-2019.

Subject Term:

Businessmen -- Biography.

Railroads -- History -- 19th century.

Steamboats -- History -- 19th century.

Socialites -- Biography.

Millionaires -- Biography.

Upper class -- Biography.

Wealth -- History.

Author(s):

Howe, Katherine, 1977-

Publisher:

Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers,

Publication Date:

2021

ISBN:

9780062964618

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2021]

Call Number:

920 VANDERBILT

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003567735	Adult Nonfiction	920 VANDERBILT	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
33607003569624	Adult Nonfiction	920 VANDERBILT	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

New York Times bestselling author and journalist Anderson Cooper teams with New York Times bestselling historian and novelist Katherine Howe to chronicle the rise and fall of a legendary American dynasty--his mother's family, the Vanderbilts.

One of the Washington Post's Notable Works of Nonfiction of 2021

When eleven-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt began to work on his father's small boat ferrying supplies in New York Harbor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, no one could have imagined that one day he would, through ruthlessness, cunning, and a pathological desire for money, build two empires--one in shipping and another in railroads--that would make him the richest man in America. His staggering fortune was fought over by his heirs after his death in 1877, sowing familial discord that would never fully heal. Though his son Billy doubled the money left by "the Commodore," subsequent generations competed to find new and ever more extraordinary ways of spending it. By 2018, when the last Vanderbilt was forced out of The Breakers--the seventy-room summer estate in Newport, Rhode Island, that Cornelius's grandson and namesake had built--the family would have been unrecognizable to the tycoon who started it all.

Now, the Commodore's great-great-great-grandson Anderson Cooper, joins with historian Katherine Howe to explore the story of his legendary family and their outsized influence. Cooper and Howe breathe life into the ancestors who built the family's empire, basked in the Commodore's wealth, hosted lavish galas, and became synonymous with unfettered American capitalism and high society. Moving from the hardscrabble wharves of old Manhattan to the lavish drawing rooms of Gilded Age Fifth Avenue, from the ornate summer palaces of Newport to the courts of Europe, and all the way to modern-day New York, Cooper and Howe wryly recount the triumphs and tragedies of an American dynasty unlike any other.

Written with a unique insider's viewpoint, this is a rollicking, quintessentially American history as remarkable as the family it so vividly captures.

Author Notes

Anderson Hays Cooper was born on June 3, 1967 in New York City. He is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360° and a major correspondent for 60 minutes. Cooper attended Yale University and graduated with a B. A. in political science in 1989. He later decided to pursue a career in journalism.

He began his news career as a fact checker at Channel One but soon worked his way up to reporter by selling his home-made news segments. In 1995, Cooper became a correspondent for ABC News, eventually rising to the position of co-anchor on its overnight World News Now program on September 21, 1999. In 2000 he switched career paths, taking a job as the host of ABC's reality show The Mole. Cooper left The Mole after its second season to return to broadcast news. In 2001, he joined CNN. His first position at CNN was to anchor alongside Paula Zahn on American Morning. In 2002, he became CNN's weekend prime-time anchor. On September 8, 2003, he was made anchor of Anderson Cooper 360°.

He has earned several Emmy Awards and a National Headliner Award for his news reporting.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

CNN anchor Cooper (The Rainbow Comes and Goes) and novelist Howe (The Daughters of Temperance Hobbes) tell the story of "the greatest American fortune ever squandered" in this juicy portrait of Cooper's forebears, the Vanderbilts. Tracing the family's American origins to a Dutch indentured servant who arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in 1650, the authors showcase the Vanderbilts as a study in "our country's mythos," the belief that anyone can become wealthy if "they have enough gumption, have enough grit, or ruthlessness." In the 19th century, 18-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt made money ferrying supplies to the British military during the war of 1812, and went on to build railroads, leaving behind a $100 million inheritance to his son William, who was the only Vanderbilt to ever add to the family fortune. William's daughter-in-law, Alva, transformed from a society doyenne to a key leader of the women's suffrage movement, while her son, Harold, became a champion yachtsman. In the book's most moving section, Cooper recounts his mother Gloria's traumatic childhood, which involved a "sort-of-kidnapping" and a drawn-out custody battle, and her out-of-control spending and dysfunctional relationships as an adult. Marked by meticulous research and deep emotional insight, this is a memorable chronicle of American royalty. (Sept.)

Vanderbilt Family Tree	p. x
Introduction	p. xiii
Prologue The Breakers: March 30, 2018	p. 1
Part I Rise
1 The Tycoon: January 4, 1877	p. 15
2 Van der But: c. 1660	p. 37
3 The Blatherskite and the Namesake: April 2, 1882	p. 51
4 Society as I Have Found It: October 22, 1883	p. 73
5 Venetian Princesses: March 26, 1883	p. 91
6 American Royalty: November 6, 1895	p. 111
Part II Fall
7 Failure Is Impossible: May 4, 1912	p. 137
8 Down with the Ship: May 1915	p. 161
9 Standing in a Cold Shower, Tearing Up Hundred-Thousand-Dollar Bills: September 15, 1934	p. 183
10 Living a Roman à Clef: November 21, 1934	p. 205
11 Gloria at La Côte Basque: November 28, 1966	p. 235
12 The Last Vanderbilt: October 28, 1978, and June 17, 2019	p. 259
Epilogue Christmas Eve, 1930	p. 279
Acknowledgments	p. 291
Bibliography	p. 295
Index	p. 301

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Table of Contents