“Willie had inherited a large share of my father’s charm, he possessed the same joyousness and overwhelming spirits”
--Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan, on her brother, William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.
William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. (1878-1944) was the second of the three children of Mr. & Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt. From an early age, “Willie,” as he came to be known, was a sporting enthusiast like his father. He spent his earliest days sailing all over the world on the various family yachts. He was educated privately by tutors, attended St. Mark’s Preparatory School, and studied at Harvard. He subsequently began working for the Vanderbilt family’s New York Central Line in 1903.
At the age of 20, W.K. Vanderbilt, Jr. became engaged to Virginia “Birdie” Graham Fair, the daughter of James Graham Fair, who had made a fortune with the Comstock Silver Lode in Virginia City, Nevada. Mr. Fair died in 1894, leaving an estate in excess of $40,000,000 that was split between Virginia and her sister Theresa, who built Rosecliff a short distance from Marble House.
 Willie married Birdie on March 26, 1899 in a Roman Catholic ceremony at the Manhattan home of the bride’s sister. The first home for the newlyweds, a gift from the groom’s father, was at 666 Fifth Avenue. After ten years of marriage and three children--Muriel, Consuelo and William Kissam III--the couple separated but did not file for divorce until 1927. Following the divorce, Willie married Rosamond Warburton of Philadelphia in a civil ceremony in Paris.
Like his father, William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. was an accomplished sailor and yachtsman but it was automobile racing that was his true passion. In 1901 he imported “The White Ghost,” the first racing automobile in the U.S., and in 1904 he founded the Vanderbilt Cup Race at Garden City, Long Island. Another passion, in the Vanderbilt tradition, ran toward architecture. His favorite house was called “Eagle’s Nest” in Centerport, Long Island (presently the Vanderbilt Museum). It was here that Willie died in early 1944. |
contributions to American and international motor sport. Willie K's own winning record in the 1904 Ormond/Daytona Beach competition and his visionary investment of the Vanderbilt Cup with the broad-based and popular motoring organization AAA opened motor sport to the widest range of American fans and auto manufacturers. American Heritage Magazine put it this way: "Vanderbilt was a popular winner, 'a bully good democratic fellow,' according to the press of the time." His contributions set a higher standard for achievement and excellence. The annual recipient will embody these characteristics of William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.
