Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt

Alice Claypoole Gwynne Vanderbilt

Notable Socialite and Dowager Matron of the Vanderbilt Family for more than sixty years. Daughter of Abraham E. and Rachel Flagg Gwynne. Widow of Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843-1899); Head of the House of Vanderbilt and Chairman of the Board of the New York Central. From her humble beginnings as the daughter of a prominent lawyer, she met her equally pious husband while teaching Sunday school. Proud and aristocratic, she transformed herself into the supreme empress of Fifth Avenue, launching a successful campaign to elevate her husband's family into the top drawer of New York and Newport society. This in time came for the need of a "suitable" New York residence; located at 1 West 57th Street, designed by Richard Hunt and George Post, imposing and dignified, it comprised one hundred and thirty rooms - the largest private home ever erected in the city. In Newport, Rhode Island, a home was needed to replace their previous home 'Breakers' that had burned down; completely fire-proof, 'Breakers II' was also designed by Hunt and was seventy rooms of sumptuous luxury, making it the most splendid home at that summer resort. Dubbed as "Alice of The Breakers", she insisted on the finest luxuries that could be bought; which ranged from footmen attired in maroon livery to the salt water in the baths at her summer home. Alice, a tiny woman at 5 feet 2 inches, was intensely religious, attending church services daily, sometimes twice a day if schedules permitted. Unusually cold to strangers, she was perpetually camera shy; and never left home without a thick veil and in the attendance of two burly guards. Preferring the comforts of a automobile rather than the uncertainties of boat or plane, she travelled between her two residences in a fleet of limousines~ all dressed in maroon. A widow in 1899, she was further saddened by the loss of her son Alfred (d. 1915) onboard the sinking of the "Lusitania" and her youngest son Reginald (d. 1925) after literally drinking himself to death; after which she chose to remain in mourning for the remainder of her lifetime, never donning anything more than black; her exquisite four-strand pearl necklace, which were so long she could actually kick them with her feet, being the only jewelry of choice. Alice Vanderbilt ~ The beloved Matriarch of the Vanderbilt family ~ passed away quietly at her marvelous summer home in her eighty-eighth year; being buried in the Vanderbilt family plot at Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island, New York. When her long-awaited will was finally probated the following year, it was revealed that, amongst other things, her assets included exactly $10,184,587 in cash. Today, though her incredible wealth has been dispersed, the 'Breakers', her splendid summer home in Newport, Rhose Island, lives on as her fabulous legacy.

Family links:

Parents:

 Abraham Evan Gwynne (1821 - 1855)

 Rachel Moore Flagg Matthews (1822 - 1884)

Spouse:

 Cornelius Vanderbilt (1843 - 1899)

Children:

 Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt (1868 - 1873)*

 William Henry Vanderbilt (1870 - 1892)*

 Cornelius Vanderbilt (1873 - 1942)*

 Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875 - 1942)*

 Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877 - 1915)*

 Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880 - 1925)*

 Gladys Moore Vanderbilt Széchenyi (1886 - 1965)*

Sibling:

 David E. Gwynne (____ - 1900)*

 Alice Claypoole Gwynne Vanderbilt (1845 - 1934)

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Moravian Cemetery New Dorp Richmond County (Staten Island) New York, USA Plot: Vanderbilt Family Plot

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Alice was born and raised in Cincinnati, the daughter of lawyer Abraham Evan Gwynne and Rachel Moore Flagg, and stepdaughter of Albert Mathews, who wrote under the name Paul Siogvolk.

She met Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the eldest son of William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam, while teaching Sunday school at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church. They were married on February 4, 1867 at the Church of the Incarnation on Madison Avenue in New York. She and her husband had four sons and three daughters.

Alice was responsible for constructing several massive family houses, including the enlargement of 1 West 57th Street, making it the largest private residence to ever be built in an American city at the time. She also played a role in constructing the massive summer "cottage", The Breakers, in Newport, Rhode Island. Her affection for Newport was because many of her earliest colonial ancestors were from the city. An early ancestor was Roger Williams, who founded the State of Rhode Island.Another ancestor was former Rhode Island Governor Samuel Ward, Sr.. Many Flagg family members are buried in Newport's Island Cemetery.

In 1914, she was responsible for the construction of the Gwynne Building in Cincinnati, Ohio, site of the first shop of Procter & Gamble, later the company's headquarters.

Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt died at 7 o'clock on April 22, 1934 in her home at 1 East Sixty-seventh Street in Manhattan, New York City. Gladys Moore Vanderbilt Széchenyi inherited both The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island, and her mother's second New York townhouse located at 1 East 67th Street (the former George Jay Gould, Sr. residence). Gertrude received the proceeds from the sale of 1 West 57th Street (sold in 1925) totaling $7,000,000 while son Neily received ownership of the Gwynne Building in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Philanthropy Alice donated to various charitable causes. Throughout her life she was a large supporter of the YMCA, Salvation Army, Red Cross, Trinity Church and St. Bartholomew's Church[disambiguation needed]. She and her husband donated Vanderbilt Hall to Yale College in memory of their eldest son, Bill, a student there when he died in 1892. She gave the front gates to her former mansion on Fifth Avenue to be placed in Central Park. Mrs. Vanderbilt also donated a facility to Newport Hospital in 1903 in memory of her husband, Cornelius.

Children of Alice and Cornelius Vanderbilt[edit] Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt (1869–1874) William Henry "Bill" Vanderbilt II (1870–1892) Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III (1873–1942) Gertrude Vanderbilt (1875–1942) Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877–1915) Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880–1925) Gladys Moore Vanderbilt (1886–1965)

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 21 2020, 1:25:50 UTC