George Washington Vanderbilt
November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914
November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914
George Washington Vanderbilt was born in 1862 and grew up with tutors and a well-rounded education. He was one of eight children in his family. Because of family money, he was able to travel to different parts of the United States and Europe and experience historic sites, museums, and theaters . He was known for his love of travel and different cultures. Vanderbilt even knew eight different languages. This young appreciation for the arts developed further as he grew older. At the age of sixteen, he attended the Columbia University and graduated with high honors.(The Biltmore estate)
George Washington Vanderbilt was the youngest in the Vanderbilt family when the mansion at 640 Fifth Avenue was completed in 1881. It was considered the largest and most splendid house in Manhattan. Here, George was exposed to the latest modern conveniences, refrigeration and telephones as well as a glass-roofed stable courtyard to exercise William Henry’s beloved trotting horses. The Manhattan mansion was decorated in European style, accenting the architectural design of the mansion.
Growing up as a child, George was quiet and intelligent, he showed little interest in the families financial business. George was drawn to his father’s cultural interest. He began displaying this interest at an early age, by creating his own collection of books and artworks including overseeing the designs of his private quarters and personal library at their Manhattan mansion. George knew the quality of the “finer things.” He enjoyed reading books, traveling the world, and a study of the arts. George experienced the development of the famed Fifth Avenue mansion and was a natural when it came to overseeing and housing a collection of fine arts. Eventually he would inherit the mansion and all its contents.With his inheritance from William Henry’s fortune, George took to an even greater height, the qualities the Vanderbilt displayed in regards to their personal American aristocracy. It was in his nature to be a perfectionist, a nature that would manifest his dream of a self-sufficient country estate that would rival none other (Vanderbilt family history)
George visited Ashville, NC as a child with his mother. He fell in love with the surroundings. He decided he was going to build a house where his mother could go to enjoy the wonderful air in Ashville, where he could go to enjoy and recuperate from his maladies and a family home. I must say then, when you are in Biltmore and are detached from the tourist, you can feel comfortable in the rooms. I believe George Vanderbilt's vision of a family home did become reality.
He helped the economy of Ashville by hiring the people of the town to build his house. George wanted to create a self sufficient home. This did not happen until his grandson took over.
George met a woman when he was in his thirties. She was about eleven years younger than him. They married in Paris. The new Vanderbilt was Edith Stuyvesant Dresser.
George Washington Vanderbilt was the youngest in the Vanderbilt family when the mansion at 640 Fifth Avenue was completed in 1881. It was considered the largest and most splendid house in Manhattan. Here, George was exposed to the latest modern conveniences, refrigeration and telephones as well as a glass-roofed stable courtyard to exercise William Henry’s beloved trotting horses. The Manhattan mansion was decorated in European style, accenting the architectural design of the mansion.
Growing up as a child, George was quiet and intelligent, he showed little interest in the families financial business. George was drawn to his father’s cultural interest. He began displaying this interest at an early age, by creating his own collection of books and artworks including overseeing the designs of his private quarters and personal library at their Manhattan mansion. George knew the quality of the “finer things.” He enjoyed reading books, traveling the world, and a study of the arts. George experienced the development of the famed Fifth Avenue mansion and was a natural when it came to overseeing and housing a collection of fine arts. Eventually he would inherit the mansion and all its contents.With his inheritance from William Henry’s fortune, George took to an even greater height, the qualities the Vanderbilt displayed in regards to their personal American aristocracy. It was in his nature to be a perfectionist, a nature that would manifest his dream of a self-sufficient country estate that would rival none other (Vanderbilt family history)
George visited Ashville, NC as a child with his mother. He fell in love with the surroundings. He decided he was going to build a house where his mother could go to enjoy the wonderful air in Ashville, where he could go to enjoy and recuperate from his maladies and a family home. I must say then, when you are in Biltmore and are detached from the tourist, you can feel comfortable in the rooms. I believe George Vanderbilt's vision of a family home did become reality.
He helped the economy of Ashville by hiring the people of the town to build his house. George wanted to create a self sufficient home. This did not happen until his grandson took over.
George met a woman when he was in his thirties. She was about eleven years younger than him. They married in Paris. The new Vanderbilt was Edith Stuyvesant Dresser.
Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt
January 17, 1873 - December 21, 1958
January 17, 1873 - December 21, 1958
She was born on January 17, 1873 as Edith Stuyvesant Dresser. She was a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, the first governor of Dutch colonial New York, and also the great-niece of Hamilton Fish. She was orphaned at the age of ten and was raised by her maternal grandmother.(Edith Vanderbilt)
Not much could be found of their nuptials or they way they met. This much I thought was interesting "... small prayer book that Edith carried when they married at the American Episcopal Cathedral in Paris on June 1, 1898. She had received extravagant jewelry from George and certainly had the means for elaborate wedding accessories, but she chose a simple statement for her vows. She wore no jewelry, a simple gown and her grandmother’s veil, and carried only the prayer book."(2012, 06)
She was a lady whom you needed to admire.
"Edith routinely visited the cabins in the most isolated areas of the Estate to bring food, medical supplies and money when there was illness or a death in the family. She arranged for surgery or other special care when needed, and she and George bore the expense. She brought maternity baskets filled with all the things necessary to care for a new baby when there was a birth. Edith also organized gatherings of the mountain women and sponsored speakers who presented “talks…along with various interests in the care of their children and home,” again according to Mrs. Wheeler. Concerned with the lack of variety in the native diet, she offered a prize to the gardener who grew the greatest variety of vegetables and fruits. Edith Vanderbilt was a frequent visitor to the workers’ village. A 1909 article entitled “Vanderbilt of the Mountains” described a typical day for her: It’s a busy life she leads. An hour in the morning may find her among the boys and girls who are carving, knitting, sewing, and weaving at the looms at the school she founded [Biltmore Estate Industries] and that she pays for. Then the fast-steppers swirl her miles away [in her carriage] to a bit of a colony [on the estate] where she talks to the mothers about healthful things for the children to eat, and gives them some patterns for homespun coverlets. She is one of the leading spirits in a dozen or so clubs for civic betterment, the training of the boys and girls, ‘sunshine societies.’ Mrs. Vanderbilt believes in the home, not only where she lives but where other women must live. Like her husband, Edith also was a great supporter of education: The many comfortable houses built near the new dairy were occupied by the families of the men who worked in the dairy. This brought up the problem of a school for the children of the dairy village and others not far away. So a farm wagon was fitted out with cross seats and drawn by two farm horses and they were sent down to the…school in Biltmore Village, about four miles away. This was the first school bus in this part of the country. Also, adults eagerly responded to a night school for themselves in the dairy village. As they rarely gave outward expression of their feelings, it was touching to hear one of the oldest in the class say, ‘Now I can read my Bible.’ In addition to the Moonlight School at the Dairy, Edith also established a Sunday School: There were often religious services held in a room at the farm [Horse] stable for the dairy village people and those who were near enough to come. Dr. Swope, who was the Vanderbilt rector for All Souls Church in Biltmore Village, came out to conduct serves. They were always appreciated. The tradition of Sunday School at the Dairy was carried right up into the 1940s. (Clark McKendree, S. )
In 1921, she was elected the first female president of the N.C. State Fair, a position she held for four years.
Edith used the fair as a platform on which to promote advancements in agriculture, industry and education. She also saw that she had a role to play in involving women in community affairs.
In her induction speech given to the members of the state General Assembly, she announced, “This is a day when women have come into their own, and each one of us must shoulder her responsibilities along with the men and try to fulfill her duty to her community, state and country, at the same time remembering her obligations to her home. ... So, gentlemen, I at once assume responsibility in thanking you in the name of my fellow sisters for what you have done, for in conferring this distinction upon me, you have included them.” (Steele, B.C.)
Over the ensuing years, it was Edith Vanderbilt’s inner strength, her growing business acumen, her legacy of helping others help themselves, and her steadfast devotion to Biltmore that guided the estate into the first third of the 20th century. Her spirit is very much alive today at Biltmore, where her grandson and great-grandchildren continue to operate the estate with an eye towards self-sufficiency, hospitality, and a commitment to the 1700 employees who work each day to preserve it.(www.biltmore.com)
After his death, George's widow sold approximately 86,000 acres (350 sq. km) of the property to the United States Forest Service at $5 an acre, fulfilling her husband's wishes to create the core of Pisgah National Forest. She sold additional land as finances demanded; today, about 8,000 acres (32 sq. km) remain. Edith Dresser Vanderbilt later married Peter Goelet Gerry (1879 – 1957), a United States Senator from Rhode Island. Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (George and Edith Vanderbilt's only child) married British aristocrat, John F. A. Cecil, a descendant of William Cecil in 1924. Her sons, George and William, eventually inherited the property. George Cecil, the older of the two sons, chose to inherit the majority of the estate's land and the Biltmore Farms Company, which was more profitable than the house at the time. The younger son, William Cecil was thus left with Biltmore House, and is credited with preserving the chauteau which (though still privately owned) has been opened to the public.(www.ashevillenative.com)
Not much could be found of their nuptials or they way they met. This much I thought was interesting "... small prayer book that Edith carried when they married at the American Episcopal Cathedral in Paris on June 1, 1898. She had received extravagant jewelry from George and certainly had the means for elaborate wedding accessories, but she chose a simple statement for her vows. She wore no jewelry, a simple gown and her grandmother’s veil, and carried only the prayer book."(2012, 06)
She was a lady whom you needed to admire.
"Edith routinely visited the cabins in the most isolated areas of the Estate to bring food, medical supplies and money when there was illness or a death in the family. She arranged for surgery or other special care when needed, and she and George bore the expense. She brought maternity baskets filled with all the things necessary to care for a new baby when there was a birth. Edith also organized gatherings of the mountain women and sponsored speakers who presented “talks…along with various interests in the care of their children and home,” again according to Mrs. Wheeler. Concerned with the lack of variety in the native diet, she offered a prize to the gardener who grew the greatest variety of vegetables and fruits. Edith Vanderbilt was a frequent visitor to the workers’ village. A 1909 article entitled “Vanderbilt of the Mountains” described a typical day for her: It’s a busy life she leads. An hour in the morning may find her among the boys and girls who are carving, knitting, sewing, and weaving at the looms at the school she founded [Biltmore Estate Industries] and that she pays for. Then the fast-steppers swirl her miles away [in her carriage] to a bit of a colony [on the estate] where she talks to the mothers about healthful things for the children to eat, and gives them some patterns for homespun coverlets. She is one of the leading spirits in a dozen or so clubs for civic betterment, the training of the boys and girls, ‘sunshine societies.’ Mrs. Vanderbilt believes in the home, not only where she lives but where other women must live. Like her husband, Edith also was a great supporter of education: The many comfortable houses built near the new dairy were occupied by the families of the men who worked in the dairy. This brought up the problem of a school for the children of the dairy village and others not far away. So a farm wagon was fitted out with cross seats and drawn by two farm horses and they were sent down to the…school in Biltmore Village, about four miles away. This was the first school bus in this part of the country. Also, adults eagerly responded to a night school for themselves in the dairy village. As they rarely gave outward expression of their feelings, it was touching to hear one of the oldest in the class say, ‘Now I can read my Bible.’ In addition to the Moonlight School at the Dairy, Edith also established a Sunday School: There were often religious services held in a room at the farm [Horse] stable for the dairy village people and those who were near enough to come. Dr. Swope, who was the Vanderbilt rector for All Souls Church in Biltmore Village, came out to conduct serves. They were always appreciated. The tradition of Sunday School at the Dairy was carried right up into the 1940s. (Clark McKendree, S. )
In 1921, she was elected the first female president of the N.C. State Fair, a position she held for four years.
Edith used the fair as a platform on which to promote advancements in agriculture, industry and education. She also saw that she had a role to play in involving women in community affairs.
In her induction speech given to the members of the state General Assembly, she announced, “This is a day when women have come into their own, and each one of us must shoulder her responsibilities along with the men and try to fulfill her duty to her community, state and country, at the same time remembering her obligations to her home. ... So, gentlemen, I at once assume responsibility in thanking you in the name of my fellow sisters for what you have done, for in conferring this distinction upon me, you have included them.” (Steele, B.C.)
Over the ensuing years, it was Edith Vanderbilt’s inner strength, her growing business acumen, her legacy of helping others help themselves, and her steadfast devotion to Biltmore that guided the estate into the first third of the 20th century. Her spirit is very much alive today at Biltmore, where her grandson and great-grandchildren continue to operate the estate with an eye towards self-sufficiency, hospitality, and a commitment to the 1700 employees who work each day to preserve it.(www.biltmore.com)
After his death, George's widow sold approximately 86,000 acres (350 sq. km) of the property to the United States Forest Service at $5 an acre, fulfilling her husband's wishes to create the core of Pisgah National Forest. She sold additional land as finances demanded; today, about 8,000 acres (32 sq. km) remain. Edith Dresser Vanderbilt later married Peter Goelet Gerry (1879 – 1957), a United States Senator from Rhode Island. Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (George and Edith Vanderbilt's only child) married British aristocrat, John F. A. Cecil, a descendant of William Cecil in 1924. Her sons, George and William, eventually inherited the property. George Cecil, the older of the two sons, chose to inherit the majority of the estate's land and the Biltmore Farms Company, which was more profitable than the house at the time. The younger son, William Cecil was thus left with Biltmore House, and is credited with preserving the chauteau which (though still privately owned) has been opened to the public.(www.ashevillenative.com)
