William Kissam Vanderbilt
| William Kissam Vanderbilt | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
December 12, 1849 New Dorp, Staten Island, New York |
| Died | July 22, 1920 (aged 70) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Horse breeder |
| Spouse(s) | 1. Alva Erskine Smith (m. 1875–95) 2. Anne Harriman Sands Rutherfurd (m. 1903–20) (ended with his death) |
| Children |
Consuelo Vanderbilt William Kissam Vanderbilt II Harold Stirling Vanderbilt |
| Parent(s) | William Henry Vanderbilt |
| Relatives | Herbert M. Harriman (brother-in-law) |
| Signature | |
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William Kissam Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist and horsebreeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family railroad investments.
William Kissam Vanderbilt I was born on December 12, 1849. His father was William Henry Vanderbilt. His paternal grandfather was Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt inherited $55 million (equal to about $1.5 billion today). from his father. He managed his family railroad investments. In 1879, after taking over P. T. Barnum's Great Roman Hippodrome which was on railroad property by Madison Square Park, he renamed the facility Madison Square Garden.
Vanderbilt was one of the founders of The Jockey Club. He was a shareholder and president of the Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Brooklyn, New York and the owner of a successful racing stable. In 1896, he built the American Horse Exchange at 50th Street (Manhattan) and Broadway. In 1911 he leased it (and eventually sold it to) the Shubert Organization who then transformed it into the Winter Garden Theatre.
After his divorce from Alva, he moved to France where he built a château and established the Haras du Quesnay horse racing stable and breeding farm near Deauville in France's famous horse region of Lower Normandy. Among the horses he owned was the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly Maskette, purchased from Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky for broodmare services at his French breeding farm. Vanderbilt's horses won a number of important races in France including:
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