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William Henry Vanderbilt III
William Henry Vanderbilt III (November 24, 1901 – April 14, 1981) was an American politician who served as Governor of Rhode Island from 1939 to 1941, and a member of the wealthy and socially prominent Vanderbilt family.
Vanderbilt was born in New York City on November 24, 1901. He was the son of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and Ellen "Elsie" French. Vanderbilt's father was a great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the family fortune in railroads and shipping. William Vanderbilt's parents divorced in 1908, and through his father's second marriage he had two half-brothers, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr., and George Washington Vanderbilt III. In 1915, his father perished in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Vanderbilt was educated at St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island (Class of 1919) and the Evans School in Mesa, Arizona. He attended Princeton University but dropped out during his first year. In 1940, Vanderbilt received an honorary LL.D. from Bates College.
Shortly before the United States declared war on Germany during the First World War, Vanderbilt dropped out of St. George's School upon his appointment as a midshipman in the U.S. Naval Coast Defense Reserve to rank from March 20, 1917. As he was only 15 at the time, he was one of the youngest Americans to have served in the war.
During his service in the Navy, Vanderbilt served on the torpedo test ship USS Vesuvius from April 17 to May 31, 1917, the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport from June 1, 1917 to March 7, 1918, aide for information Second Naval District from March 7 to July 15, 1918, in Norfolk, Virginia from July 23 to September 16, 1918, New London, Connecticut from September 19 to November 14, 1918 and as a plank owner of the newly commissioned destroyer USS Evans from November 11, 1918 to August 30, 1919. While serving on the Evans, Vanderbilt went on a cruise to Europe from June to August 1919. He was discharged from the Navy shortly after the end of the cruise, having not yet reached his 18th birthday.
Contemporary newspaper articles reporting on the 1917 appraisal of his father's estate in the New York County Surrogate's Court note that William received a Trust Fund of $4,612,086 ($109,789,986.59 in 2023 when adjusted for inflation), a life interest in $400,000, as well as the Congressional Gold Medal presented by the 38th US Congress to William's great-great grandfather Cornelius 'the Commodore' Vanderbilt I in 1864 which had come to signify the Headship of the Vanderbilt Dynasty.
Vanderbilt also received the 450 acre (1.8 km2) Oakland Farm Estate in Portsmouth, Rhode Island under the terms of his father's will. He made the farm his permanent home until the end of the Second World War.
In 1925, Vanderbilt started a coach bus company, called The Short Line, carrying passengers between Newport and Providence. Within a few years he expanded the business to serve points throughout New England and New York. The Short Line was purchased by George Sage in 1955 and, in 1970, was renamed Bonanza Bus Lines. Bonanza eventually merged with the Coach USA bus line in 1998 and was sold to Peter Pan Bus Lines in 2003. The Short Line's original terminal building in Newport still stands and is located near the intersection of Spring and Touro streets.
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William Henry Vanderbilt III
William Henry Vanderbilt III (November 24, 1901 – April 14, 1981) was an American politician who served as Governor of Rhode Island from 1939 to 1941, and a member of the wealthy and socially prominent Vanderbilt family.
Vanderbilt was born in New York City on November 24, 1901. He was the son of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and Ellen "Elsie" French. Vanderbilt's father was a great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the family fortune in railroads and shipping. William Vanderbilt's parents divorced in 1908, and through his father's second marriage he had two half-brothers, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr., and George Washington Vanderbilt III. In 1915, his father perished in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Vanderbilt was educated at St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island (Class of 1919) and the Evans School in Mesa, Arizona. He attended Princeton University but dropped out during his first year. In 1940, Vanderbilt received an honorary LL.D. from Bates College.
Shortly before the United States declared war on Germany during the First World War, Vanderbilt dropped out of St. George's School upon his appointment as a midshipman in the U.S. Naval Coast Defense Reserve to rank from March 20, 1917. As he was only 15 at the time, he was one of the youngest Americans to have served in the war.
During his service in the Navy, Vanderbilt served on the torpedo test ship USS Vesuvius from April 17 to May 31, 1917, the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport from June 1, 1917 to March 7, 1918, aide for information Second Naval District from March 7 to July 15, 1918, in Norfolk, Virginia from July 23 to September 16, 1918, New London, Connecticut from September 19 to November 14, 1918 and as a plank owner of the newly commissioned destroyer USS Evans from November 11, 1918 to August 30, 1919. While serving on the Evans, Vanderbilt went on a cruise to Europe from June to August 1919. He was discharged from the Navy shortly after the end of the cruise, having not yet reached his 18th birthday.
Contemporary newspaper articles reporting on the 1917 appraisal of his father's estate in the New York County Surrogate's Court note that William received a Trust Fund of $4,612,086 ($109,789,986.59 in 2023 when adjusted for inflation), a life interest in $400,000, as well as the Congressional Gold Medal presented by the 38th US Congress to William's great-great grandfather Cornelius 'the Commodore' Vanderbilt I in 1864 which had come to signify the Headship of the Vanderbilt Dynasty.
Vanderbilt also received the 450 acre (1.8 km2) Oakland Farm Estate in Portsmouth, Rhode Island under the terms of his father's will. He made the farm his permanent home until the end of the Second World War.
In 1925, Vanderbilt started a coach bus company, called The Short Line, carrying passengers between Newport and Providence. Within a few years he expanded the business to serve points throughout New England and New York. The Short Line was purchased by George Sage in 1955 and, in 1970, was renamed Bonanza Bus Lines. Bonanza eventually merged with the Coach USA bus line in 1998 and was sold to Peter Pan Bus Lines in 2003. The Short Line's original terminal building in Newport still stands and is located near the intersection of Spring and Touro streets.