Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney | |
---|---|
U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce | |
In office 1949–1950 | |
President | Harry S. Truman |
Preceded by | Charles W. Sawyer |
Succeeded by | W. Walter Williams |
U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force | |
In office 1947–1949 | |
President | Harry S. Truman |
Personal details | |
Born | Roslyn, New York, U.S. | February 20, 1899
Died | December 13, 1992 Saratoga Springs, New York, U.S. | (aged 93)
Spouses | Gwladys Crosby Hopkins
(m. 1931; div. 1940) |
Children | 5 |
Parent(s) | Second Lieutenant (Army) Colonel (Air Force) |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit |
Cornelius "Sonny" Vanderbilt Whitney (February 20, 1899 – December 13, 1992) was an American businessman, film producer, government official, writer and philanthropist. He was also a polo player and the owner of a significant stable of Thoroughbred racehorses.
Early life
Born in Old Westbury, New York, he was the only son of the wealthy and socially prominent Harry Payne Whitney (1872–1932) and his wife, Gertrude Vanderbilt (1875–1942). He had a younger sister, Barbara Vanderbilt Whitney (1903-1982), and an elder sister, Flora Payne Whitney (1897–1986).[1] As a member of both the Whitney and Vanderbilt families, he inherited a substantial fortune. He also proved to be a very capable businessman in his own right.[2]
Career
After graduating from
In 1931, Whitney founded the
Equine sports
His father, Harry Payne Whitney, had been an avid polo player and thoroughbred racehorse owner, and C.V. Whitney followed in his footsteps, winning the U.S. Open polo title three times. Since 1979, the Greenwich Polo Club at Conyers Farm in Greenwich, Connecticut, has awarded the C.V. Whitney Cup to the winner of an annual polo tournament.
He was the third generation of Whitneys to be heavily involved in
Although he had fifteen horses compete in the
In 1972 the Keeneland Association honored Whitney with its
Film production
Whitney became involved in the motion picture industry, notably with his cousin
Whitney was a major financial partner in the development of
Government and military service
Having spent considerable time in France, Whitney's mother
In 1932 Whitney unsuccessfully ran for Congress against fellow wealthy Long Islander Robert L. Bacon.[6]
With the onset of American involvement in World War II, Whitney volunteered again for service, rising to the rank of colonel with the United States Army Air Forces.[7] He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit.[8]
At the end of the war, Whitney served under U.S. President Harry S. Truman as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 to 1949, and United States Under Secretary of Commerce from 1949 to 1950.[9] He was also appointed President Truman's special envoy to the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Spain and Italy in 1950.[10]
Estates
One of Whitney's homes was the "Cady Hill" estate at Saratoga Springs, New York, not far from the Saratoga Race Course.[2] It was there in 1950 that he founded the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and served as its first president. A former director of Churchill Downs, he was given an Eclipse Special Award in 1984 in recognition of his lifetime contribution to thoroughbred horse racing in the United States. The C.V. Whitney Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, bred more than 175 stakes winners until age forced him to sell off a large part of the property in the 1980s to Gainesway Farm. After his death in 1992, his widow, Marylou Whitney, continued breeding and racing operations on a smaller scale. A much respected figure in racing, her "Marylou Whitney Stables" owned Birdstone, the 2004 Belmont Stakes winner.[11]
Upon his death, Whitney owned over 51,000 acres (210 km2) in the
Personal life
Whitney habitually married:
On March 5, 1923, Whitney married for the first time to
- Harry Payne Whitney II (1924–1985), who married two times:
- Nancy Marie Whitney (1926–2006),[17] who married four times and divorced three times:
- in 1949 to Edwin Denison Morgan III (1921–2001), by whom she had two children:[17]
- Alida Morgan
- Pamela Morgan
- on August 26, 1957, to (Charles) Russell Hurd[18]
- on July 1, 1958, to his widowed elder brother, Edward Augustus Hurd Jr.[19]
- and finally, to well known water colorist Pierre Lutz (1923–1991).
- in 1949 to Edwin Denison Morgan III (1921–2001), by whom she had two children:[17]
C.V. Whitney's second marriage was to Gwladys Crosby "Gee" Hopkins, from 1931 to 1940. They had one daughter:
- Gail Whitney (1939–1963),[20] who married Richard Cox Cowell in 1958.[21] They were divorced a year later.[22][23] In 1961, she married Louis S. Stur.[24] Gail died at the age of 24.[20]
In 1941, in Plymouth, Ohio, he married for the third time to Eleanor Searle (c. 1908–2002),[25] daughter of Dr. and Mrs. George James Searle.[26] Before their divorce in 1957, they had one son:[27]
- Cornelius Searle Whitney (1944–2015), an economist, psychologist and philanthropist.[28][29]
On January 25, 1958, he married for the fourth, and final, time to Marie Louise Schroeder (1925–2019), universally known as "Marylou".[30] She was an actress in a movie he produced, called The Missouri Traveler.[30] They remained married until his death. Together, they had one daughter:
- Cornelia Whitney, an art instructor and divorced mother of one who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[31]
Over the 1920s, Whitney successfully fended off several million-dollar lawsuits filed by former Ziegfeld Follies dancer Evan-Burrows Fontaine charging him with breach of promise and paternity of her son.[32]
Whitney died in 1992 in Saratoga Springs, New York, at the age of 93 and is buried there in the Greenridge Cemetery. In 1994, a portion of New York State Route 50 in the City of Saratoga Springs was designated "C.V. Whitney Memorial Highway."[33]
Philanthropy and arts patronage
Whitney was raised in an artistic environment. His mother, Gertrude, was an accomplished sculptor who studied in Paris under
Whitney donated important artworks to various museums. Notable donations include the gift of a 1634
Whitney's interest in the natural history of marine animals resulted in the 1938 founding of the world's first oceanarium.
In 1963, his estate at Old Westbury, New York, was subdivided and offered to the New York Institute of Technology for use as part of its Long Island campus.[35]
In 2000, his widow helped finance the publication of Legend of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney by Jeffrey L. Rodengen.[36]
Written works
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney wrote five books:
- Lone and Level Sands (1951) – a personal narrative of Allied aerial operations during World War II
- High Peaks (1977) – autobiography
- Live a Year with a Millionaire (1981)
- Owl Hoots Again (1988) – a collection of short stories for children
- First Flight: The Diary of a Cadet in the Signal Corps in World War I (1989)
See also
- Whitney Marine Lab
References
- ^ Howe, Marvine (July 19, 1986). "FLORA WHITNEY MILLER IS DEAD; WAS ART MUSEUM CHAIRMAN". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
- ^ a b c Gelder, Lawrence Van (January 10, 1997). "Marylou Whitney: Life at the Gallop". The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "Mark of Distinction" (PDF). Keeneland. March 20, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "National Register of Historical Places – Florida (Fla.), Flagler County". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 1986. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Folwell, Elizabeth. "Our Air Force | A who's who of North Country aviators". Adirondack Life. September/October 2004. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ Wright, Alfred. "SONNY WHITNEY: A SUCCESS IN SPITE OF HIS MONEY". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ "Whitney, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Col". airforce.togetherweserved.com. United States Air Force. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- Military Times. Archivedfrom the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ Egan, Charles E. (March 28, 1950). "C.V. Whitney Offers Resignation As Under Secretary of Commerce; OFFERS TO RESIGN". The New York Times. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ Staff, Times; Reports, Wire (December 14, 1992). "C.V. Whitney; Scion of Two Noted Families". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "Entrepreneur Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney dead at 93". UPI. December 13, 1992. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ a b "Mrs. W. Averell Harriman Dies; Former Governor's Wife Was 67". The New York Times. September 27, 1970. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ "Quiet Whitney Wedding" (PDF). The New York Times. March 2, 1923. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ "Divorces C.V. Whitney" (PDF). The New York Times. September 24, 1929. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ "Social Register Association".
- ^ Staff (September 26, 1985). "Harry Payne Whitney Is Dead; Yachtsman From Manhattan". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- ^ a b "Deaths LUTZ, NANCY WHITNEY". The New York Times. October 30, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- ^ "MRS. MORGAN MARRIED; Daughter of Mrs. Harriman Wed to C. Russell Hurd" (PDF). The New York Times. August 28, 1957. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
- ^ "Wedding Is Held For Mrs. Morgan And E. A. Hurd Jr.; Daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Married in Illinois" (PDF). The New York Times. July 2, 1958. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Dribben, Irwin (September 14, 1963). "Gail Whitney Stur Dies at 24; Wife of Official at Sun Valley; Debutante of '56 Was the Daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney". The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "Gail Whitney Becomes a Bride | Wed at Apartment of Friends Here to Richard Cowell". The New York Times. January 26, 1958. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "Gail Cowell Divorced". The New York Times. August 7, 1959. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "Gail Whitney Wed To Louis S. Stur". The New York Times. April 20, 1961. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths MCCOLLUM, ELEANOR SEARLE WHITNEY". The New York Times. August 14, 2002. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "C.V.WHITNEY WEDS ELEANOR SEARLE | Sportsman, Arts Patron and Business Leader Marries Singer in Plymouth, Ohio | RELATIVES AT CEREMONY | Nuptials Performed in Church Founded in 1840 by Bride's Great-Grandfather". The New York Times. June 19, 1941. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "C.V. Whitneys End Court Fight; Ex-Wife Gets $2,000,000 Cash". The New York Times. July 12, 1958. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "C. SEARLE WHITNEY's Obituary on New York Times". The New York Times. May 10, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ a b "CORNELIUS WHITNEY MARRIES IN NEVADA". The New York Times. January 25, 1958. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ Williams, Stephen (January 13, 2020). "Marylou Whitney leaves $17.2 million to children". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ New York Times – August 13, 1922
- ^ "Route 50 may be renamed to honor C.V. Whitnet". The Daily Gazette. November 19, 1993. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
- ^ Gulfbase.org Info Archived January 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Shaman, Diana (October 27, 1996). "On a Slice of the Whitney Estate, a New Subdivision". The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ISBN 0-945903-60-X.
Further reading
- http://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/26/nyregion/harry-payne-whitney-is-dead-yachtsman-from-manhattan.html
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-cornelius-vanderbilt-whitney-1480302.html
- http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/642886/Cornelius-Vanderbilt-Whitney
- https://vault.si.com/vault/1961/09/04/sonny-whitney-a-success-in-spite-of-his-money