The Vanderbilt Feud by Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr.
Vanderbilt, Cornelius, Jr. The Vanderbilt Feud, The Fabulous Story of Grace Wilson Vanderbilt. First English Edition. 1957. Book is in very good minus condition; dust jacket is in good plus condition—pages show occasional foxing; dust jacket shows chipping, edge tears, and soiling to back cover (but difficult to find in any condition).
What if Romeo and Juliet had lived and been allowed to marry? This engrossing family memoir offers one possible answer. The Romeo in question is Cornelius “Neily” Vanderbilt, great-grandson of the Commodore and heir to one of America’s most celebrated fortunes. His Juliet is the beautiful and ambitious Grace Wilson, whom he married against the wishes of his family. Though partially disinherited, the couple continued to live in extraordinary luxury, and Grace, through sheer force of will, gradually established herself as the Mrs. Astor of her generation. Writing with the benefit of hindsight, their son, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr., reexamines the marriage and reaches a surprising conclusion: the Vanderbilts who opposed the match may have understood the couple better than the lovers understood themselves. Drawing on memory, family papers, and personal records, he presents a fascinating portrait of Gilded Age privilege, social ambition, and a marriage that never entirely fulfilled its romantic promise. In the process, he offers a reminder that wealth can purchase almost anything—except a successful marriage.
“’I like to lead a well-rounded life,’ was an expression Mother used all the time. By this she meant that she liked to be in various parts of the world when the social season was on.” (p. 189)
--Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr.