- Cornelius Vanderbilt IV
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Cornelius Vanderbilt IV Born April 30, 1898
Staten IslandDied July 7, 1974 (aged 76)
Staten IslandOther names Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr. Spouse 7 wives including:
Rachel Littleton (m. 1919–1927)
Mary Weir Logan (m. 1928–1931)
Helen Varner (m. 1935–1940)
Maria Feliza Pablos (m. 1946–1948)
Patricia Murphy (m. 1948–1953)
Anna Bernadetta Needham (m. 1957–1960)
Mary Lou Bristol (m. 1967–1974)Children Cornelius Vanderbilt V Parents Cornelius Vanderbilt III
Grace Graham WilsonCornelius Vanderbilt IV (April 30, 1898 – July 7, 1974) was a newspaper publisher.[1]
Biography
He was born on April 30, 1898 in Staten Island to Cornelius Vanderbilt III and Grace Graham Wilson.
He attended Harstrom's Tutoring School and St. Paul's as a young man, then served in the Ambulance Service during the First World War where he became a driver when a general asked the enlisted men if anyone could drive a Rolls Royce. Vanderbilt was discharged from the army after WWI as a buck private. In 1922, he joined the newly organized New York Civitan Club.[2] He reenlisted for World War II as a major.[3][not in citation given] To his parents' dismay, he decided to become a newspaperman. His parents detested the press, seen by them as an invasion of privacy. He worked as a staff member of the New York Herald and later The New York Times. Considered a bohemian by his parents, he was frequently at odds with them.
In the early 1920s, Vanderbilt launched several newspapers and tabloids—the Los Angeles Illustrated Daily News, the San Francisco Illustrated Daily Herald and the Miami Tab among them.[3] Despite claiming to uphold the highest standards of journalistic excellence, the publishings lasted only two and a half years. Vanderbilt Inc. ceased operations with losses amounting to nearly $6 million. Vanderbilt subsequently went to work as an assistant managing editor of the New York Daily Mirror.
In addition to his memoirs, Farewell to Fifth Avenue, Vanderbilt authored other books, including a biography of his mother titled Queen of the Golden Age.
Vanderbilt's 1919 marriage to a well-connected New York socialite named Rachel Littleton ended in divorce in 1927. He was to marry six more times, including to Helen Varner who later married Jack Frye, founder of TWA.[4]
Vanderbilt made his home in Reno, Nevada and continued to write and lecture on world affairs. He was a strong supporter of the newly created state of Israel.
He died on July 7, 1974 on Staten Island.[5]
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Civitans Organize Here" (PDF). The New York Times. 16 June 1922. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9A06E7DC1231EF33A25755C1A9609C946395D6CF. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Vanderbilt", TIME, Monday, May 10, 1926.
- ^ Sedona Legend Helen Frye
- ^ "Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., Newsman, Author, Dead. Broke Family Tradition Became a Reporter. Very Difficult Time". New York Times. July 8, 1974. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10F16FC3F5B1A7493CAA9178CD85F408785F9. Retrieved 2011-05-28. "Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., author and former newspaperman, died here today at his home. He was 76 years old. Mr. Vanderbilt was married seven times. He is survived by his widow, Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr."
Categories:- 1898 births
- 1974 deaths
- Vanderbilt family
- The New York Times people
- United States Army soldiers
- United States Army officers
- American newspaper publishers (people)
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