William kissam vanderbilt ii

Cornelius vanderbilt ii

William Kissam Vanderbilt II October 26, — January 8, was an American motor racing enthusiast and yachtsman , and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family. His maternal grandfather was Murray Forbes Smith. Known as Willie K. Born to a life of luxury, he was raised in Vanderbilt mansions , traveled to Europe frequently, and sailed the globe on yachts owned by his father.

Willie was educated by tutors and at St. Mark's School. He attended Harvard University but dropped out after two years. While a great part of his life was filled with travel and leisure activities, Willie's father put him to work at the family's New York Central Railroad offices at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. Already extremely wealthy from a trust fund and from his income as president of the New York Central Railroad Company, on his father's death in Willie inherited a multimillion-dollar fortune.

Although he developed an interest in horse racing and yachting , he was particularly fascinated with automobiles. At age 10, during a stay in the south of France he had ridden in a steam-powered tricycle from Beaulieu-sur-Mer the 7 kilometers to Monte Carlo. Soon, he acquired other motorized vehicles and before long began to infuriate citizens and officials alike as he sped through the towns and villages of Long Island, New York , en route to Idle Hour , his parents' summer estate at Oakdale.