Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
| Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney | |
|---|---|
C. V. Whitney
|
|
| United States Undersecretary of Commerce | |
|
In office 1949 – 1950 |
|
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| United States Assistant Secretary of the Air Force |
|
|
In office 1947 – 1949 |
|
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 20, 1899 Roslyn, New York, United States |
| Died | December 13, 1992 (aged 93) Saratoga Springs, New York, United States |
| Spouse(s) |
Marie Norton (m. 1923; div. 1929) Gwladys Crosby Hopkins (m. 1931; div. 1940) Eleanor Searle (m. 1941; div. 1957) Marie Louise Schroeder (m. 1958; his death 1992) |
| Relations | See Vanderbilt family and Whitney family |
| Children | 5 |
| Parents |
Harry Payne Whitney Gertrude Vanderbilt |
| Residence | Old Westbury, New York, United States |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation | Businessman Film producer Racehorse owner/breeder Philanthropist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army United States Air Force
|
| Rank |
Second Lieutenant (Army) Colonel (Air Force) |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit |
Cornelius Vanderbilt "C.V." ("Sonny") Whitney (February 20, 1899 – December 13, 1992) was an American businessman, film producer, writer, philanthropist, polo player, and government official, as well as the owner of a leading stable of thoroughbred racehorses.
Born in Old Westbury, New York, he was the son of the wealthy and socially prominent Harry Payne Whitney (1872–1932) and Gertrude Vanderbilt (1875–1942). He had a younger sister, Barbara Whitney, and an elder sister, Flora Payne Whitney (1897–1986). As a member of both the Whitney and Vanderbilt families, he inherited a substantial fortune. However, he proved to be a very capable businessman.
After graduating from Yale University in 1922, he went to work at a Nevada mine owned by his father. C.V.'s paternal grandfather William Collins Whitney was a co-founder and director of the Guaranty Trust Company of New York and in 1926 C.V. Whitney was appointed a director, serving on the bank's board until 1940. In 1927, CV joined with William Avery Rockefeller III and other investors to back Juan Trippe in establishing the Aviation Corporation of America which a year later would become Pan American World Airways.
In 1931, Whitney founded the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Limited in Canada. The company became a major zinc mining operation and Whitney served as chairman of the board until 1964.
C.V. Whitney became involved in the motion picture industry, notably with his cousin John Hay Whitney as a major shareholder backing the Technicolor Corporation. The two were also financiers for the 1939 film classic Gone with the Wind. Seventeen years later, C.V. Whitney served as a producer through his own "C.V. Whitney Pictures." His company made three films, the first being the acclaimed 1956 production, The Searchers, directed by John Ford. Second was The Missouri Traveler in 1958 with Brandon deWilde and Lee Marvin and the third The Young Land in 1959 with Patrick Wayne and Dennis Hopper.
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