His brother Anderson would later describe him as a gentle boy, interested in military history and politics though not one "suited for the rough-and-tumble of the game." ", In 1997, Vanderbilt released the book A Mother's Story detailing the day and the experience of losing her son. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [23], From 1954 to 1963, Vanderbilt applied herself to acting. For her to stay in this apartment for 23 years, which for my mom is an eternity, it had to change. A sculptor and philanthropist, Whitney wanted custody of her niece, which resulted in a custody trial. U.S. passport documents for Thelma Morgan as a child give her birth year as 1906. Granted limited parental rights, Vanderbilt was allowed to see young Gloria on weekends in New York. Vanderbilt said her understanding of homosexuality was largely shaped by the public gossip surrounding her own mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt. [24] With her company, she launched dresses, blouses, sheets, shoes, leather goods, liqueurs, and accessories. "Some people who knew Carter will start to talk about him and then say, Oh, Im sorry. And I say, No, I love to talk about him. Vanderbilt was the mother of fashion designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt and maternal grandmother of television journalist Anderson Cooper. Gloria Vanderbilt Dies at 95; Built a Fashion Empire (AP) Gift Article Like. But as it happens, she did live on in her apartment, a layered, sumptuous jewel box of a place that looks like something out of The Arabian Nights, draped with swoops of orange silk, lacquered pink walls, mirrored halls, Russian icons and chandeliers from which Christmas ornaments hang year round. A custody battle erupted that made national headlines in 1934. He didn't. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt (born Maria Mercedes Morgan; 23 August 1904 13 February 1965) was an American socialite. When a lawyer asked if she had ever witnessed improper conduct from Gloria Morgan, she said yes, and explained: Mrs. In her book with youngest child Anderson Cooper, she seems to have come to terms with her tumultuous life. The mother returned to New York City and tried to get her daughter back, but Gertrude objected on the grounds that she was an unfit mother. Mr. Cooper worried often about the fate and weight of all her stuff. [24] She launched another exhibition of 35 paintings at the Arts Center in 2007. Vanderbilt runs down the street with her sons Anderson Cooper and Carter Vanderbilt Cooper. Following the film's debut, Anderson confirmed that he and Christopher had reconnected and reconciled, while Anderson's uncle Harry Cooper added that Christopher and Vanderbilt had met several times in the wake of the film's release. [29] Two years later, the custody issue was re-opened, giving her another chance to re-gain guardianship of her daughter. Anderson Cooper Told His Mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, He Was Planning to Vanderbilts second marriage was to conductor Leopold Stokowski, a man four decades her senior. October 1, 1934: the opening court date of The Matter of Vanderbilt. They were married on August 28, 1956, and divorced in August 1963. Gloria's story really begins with ruthless patriarch Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt, a Staten Island farm boy turned railroad titan who died in 1877, leaving a fortune of $100 millionmore than was held in the U.S. treasury at the time. It also connected her to her late husband, Wyatt Cooper her happiest marriage, she said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Cooper's mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, passed away last summer at the age of 95 following a battle with cancer, but he was able to tell her about Wyatt before she died. "She knows he doesnt want to be in the public eye. [48] The marriage ended in divorce in October 1955 and produced two sons:[24] Leopold Stanislaus "Stan" Stokowski (born August 22, 1950), and Christopher Stokowski (born January 31, 1952). ", But soon, an accusation by Gloria Morgans French maid caused the judge to eject the press from the courtroom. [15] Vanderbilt's mother lost the battle and Vanderbilt became the ward of her aunt Gertrude. The talk show host opens up about not getting his mother's millions. Ten-year-old Gloria Vanderbilt with her aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, outside of court, where Whitney fought Gloria's mother for custody. Gloria Vanderbilt reportedly did not leave her heirs much money. Maybe Gloria Vanderbilt: Fashion icon and artist dies at 95 | CNN When her daughter got tonsillitis, she took Gloria back to the U.S. for an operation, then left the girl to recover with her auntGertrude on Long Island while she went back to Europe for several months. [32][33], In the 1980s, Vanderbilt accused her former partners in GV Ltd. and her lawyer of fraud. Vanderbilt married iconic film director Sidney Lumet in 1955. The late style icon, socialite and mother of four experienced tragic loss when her son, whom she shared with author Wyatt Cooper, died by suicide at age 23 in July 1988. She knows he doesnt want to be in the public eye. Together they raised Vanderbilt's two sons with Stokowski and had two of their own. Over the next several years, Gloria Morgan lived in opulent style on those payments. Its like a tonic for her.. [24] In the period from 1982 to 2002, L'Oreal launched eight fragrances under the brand name Gloria Vanderbilt. Gloria Vanderbilt the glamorous Manhattan socialite from one of the nation's wealthiest families who was as well-known for her eponymous brand of jeans as her . Vanderbilt's third husband was the director Sidney Lumet. [24][34], Vanderbilt studied art at the Art Students League of New York. I think she got tired of all the moving, and she decided to burrow into this place and just work on it.. Gertrude Whitney entered the picture when little Gloria got tonsillitis. It's no surprise, then, that the custody trial would fascinate a country in need of distractionand continue to do so. The distance between past, present and future is only an illusion, however persistent, Ms. Vanderbilt painted on her bedroom mantel, along with stars and other shapes, paraphrasing Albert Einstein. Nevertheless, Vanderbilt's life, in so many ways, revolved around her family; from the inheritance and custody battles that dogged her childhood, to her tabloid-crowning marriages, to the tragedies and triumphs that followed her into motherhood. Together Anderson Cooper and his mother Gloria Vanderbilt released the documentary Nothing Left Unsaid in 2016. The worst is to lose a child. When she died at age 95 in 2019, she was most remembered for these accomplishments. GLORIA VANDERBILT, MODEL, FASHION DESIGNER AND MOTHER TO ANDERSON COOPER, DEAD AT 95 It wasn't immediately clear exactly what or how much Cooper will receive. November 29, 2011. Vanderbilt II, Arthur T., "Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt". Anderson Cooper's mom, Gloria, was born into the Vanderbilt family, one of the richest families in America in the 1800s and early 1900s who made their fortune in the railroad business. She expanded her business by releasing home goods and fragrances and also wrote several books. [31], Jones Apparel Group acquired the rights to Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in 2002. "[20], Influenced by reports from private detectives as well as family servants and Laura Morgan (who appears by all published accounts to have been somewhat emotionally and mentally unbalanced and who testified on Mrs. Whitney's side at the trial),[21][22] members of the Vanderbilt family came to believe that Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt was a bad influence and neglectful of her daughter. Gloria Vanderbilt Reveals Same-Sex Relationship to Stunned Son - People Gloria Vanderbilt, in full Gloria Laura Morgan Vanderbilt, (born February 20, 1924, New York, New York, U.S.died June 17, 2019, New York, New York), American socialite, artist, author, actress, and designer of textiles and fashion who was often in the public eye for her social life and professional exploits. What happened to Gloria Vanderbilt's mother?Inside the Custody Battle for 10-Year-Old Heiress Gloria VanderbiltJul 1, 2019Instead, Reggie married a 17-year-o. Anderson Cooper on the Vanderbilt dynasty - CBS News It has two bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen with a breakfast room and two and a half bathrooms. Becky Little is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. Her maternal grandfather, Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (18361881), was a Union Army general during the American Civil War, who also served as the U.S. minister to Chile. For several decades following Cooper's death Vanderbilt continued to prefer to be known, in private, as Mrs. Cooper. Morgan, who adopted the name Gloria as a teenager, had five siblings: Gloria Morgan was educated by governesses and in convents in Europe as well as New York City, where she attended the Catholic Convent of the Sacred Heart (in the Manhattanville section of the city), the Skerton Finishing School, and Miss Nightingale's School. The ground floor apartment below was once his office. And because the Vanderbilt vs. Whitney case provided all of this, it became a major story in the tabloids. Gloria Vanderbilt was called the "poor little rich girl" after a battle for her custody made tabloid headlines in the 1930s, CNN said. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. The marriage, which lasted 15 years, ended with his death in 1978 while he was undergoing open-heart surgery. The ruling was "extremely punitive" and reflects the 1930s, when domestic relations law was "extraordinarily socially conservative.". Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Anderson was still in college when his older brother Carter committed suicide, which, combined with the tragedy of his father's death during heart surgery ten years earlier, helped inspire Anderson to pursue journalism. "But that wasn't the worst. [44], Vanderbilt was married four times, divorced three times, and gave birth to four sons, in all. [51] Other relationships included Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra,[24] Howard Hughes and Roald Dahl. In 2014, he told Howard Stern in a radio interview that he didnt expect to inherit his mothers fortune, which has been estimated at $200 million. "[6] She was baptized in the Episcopal Church by Bishop Herbert Shipman as Gloria Laura Vanderbilt. She. But Gertrude Whitney opposed itGloria Morgan Vanderbilt was an "unfit" mother. Vanderbilt married Hollywood producer and talent agent Pat DiCicco when she was 17. It was her nanny, Dodo, who became a kind of mother figure in her life. They had another son, Carter Cooper, who died by suicide from the balcony of her 14th-floor apartment in 1988. You know that." [54], Truman Capote was speculated to have modeled the character of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's on Vanderbilt, but others say it was based on her friend Carol Grace. More, more, more." Vanderbilt told People in 2016. For the last 10 years, he added, he has been sifting through them. Gloria Vanderbilt and her aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt-Whitney, arrive at a courthouse in New York for a trial to determine who would get custody of the girl. Vanderbilt never remarrieda particular statement of devotion from a woman who had spent the better part of 40 years in one marriage or another. This surprised her mothers lawyers, who produced loving letters from Gloria to her mother in court. Since that trial, Gloria Vanderbilt, now 92, has gone on marry four times, give birth to four children, act, model, paint, write books, and design a hugely successful line of "the perfect fit" blue jeans. They had two sons: Carter Vanderbilt Cooper (January 27, 1965 July 22, 1988), who committed suicide at age 23 by jumping to his death from the family's 14th-floor apartment,[34][49][50] and Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967), a CNN news anchor. CNN's Anderson Cooper Disinherited from $200 Million Vanderbilt Estate After her divorce from Morgan, she married Henry C. Etz. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt and Thelma, Lady Furness, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 16:00. She added that the testimony, which continued for five hours, was a blistering tale no skin lotion could soothe. A sculptor and art patron, Gertrude used her family wealth and position to launch a museum devoted to American painters. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. With no television or Internet, the newspapers of the 1930s ruled absolutely, and there were a dozen papers fighting for readers in New York City alone. Nancy Bilyeau, a former staff editor at InStyle, Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly, has written a thriller set in the 18th century art and porcelain world titled 'The Blue.' .css-1fgik18{color:#323232;display:block;font-family:NewParis,NewParis-fallback,Georgia,Times,serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;-webkit-font-smoothing:auto;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-1fgik18:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1fgik18{font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1fgik18{font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1fgik18{font-size:1.3125rem;line-height:1.2;}}37 Royal Family Photos Taken By Kate Middleton, The Most Iconic Photos of Princess Charlotte, Princess Charlotte Turns 8! In the meantime, mother and child would have to live on interest payments. For his efforts he has won five Emmy Awards as well as a Peabody Award for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina. [19] The discrepancy was discovered upon an examination of the Morgan twins' childhood passports and their birth certificates during the Vanderbilt custody trial in 1934. [27][28], Vanderbilt lost custody of her daughter to her sister-in-law Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. An opulent Bedouin tent. Gloria Vanderbilt custody trial: 'Poor little rich girl' torn between a He briefly interned at the CIA, later joking that "It was less James Bond than I hoped it would be.". Her closest friend was the adventurous Nadejda Mountbatten, marchioness of Milford Haven. Part of a New York farming family of modest means, Cornelius "the Commodore" Vanderbilt was 16 when he borrowed $100 from his mother in exchange for plowing eight acres of soil, according to Encyclopedia.com.The year was 1810, and the $100 (equivalent to a little over $2,100 today, per the Official Data Foundation) was spent on a boat that he used to start his own transport and freight business. They took up residence for years in places like Paris, Monte Carlo, Biarritz, and . That title instead went to acclaimed American film director Sidney Lumet in 1955. I think its a curse. Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails. Gloria Vanderbilt's Beekman Place Apartment Is for Sale In Glorias memoir, The Rainbow Comes and Goes, she wrote that Gertrudes lawyer had coached her to say she was afraid of her mother. Vanderbilt died in 1965 of cancer and was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.[36]. [4][5] Her mother was his second wife, the former Laura Delphine Kilpatrick (18771956); the couple was married in 1894 and divorced in 1927.[6][7]. [19] The discrepancy was discovered upon an examination of the Morgan twins' childhood passports and their birth certificates during the Vanderbilt custody trial in 1934. Is Gloria Vanderbilt's Estranged Son Christopher Stokowski Secretly The Vanderbilt family and Gertrude in particular already disapproved of Gloria Morgans lifestyle, and now that she wasnt living with her daughter, the family cut her interest payments in half. This past spring, the 84-year-old trial hit the airwaves again during promotion of a book and HBO documentary by Gloria Vanderbilt and her son, Anderson Cooper. Little Gloria would live with her aunt; her mother could have weekend visitations. From the 1940s until their deaths, Gloria and her sister Thelma, Lady Furness, lived together in New York City and in Los Angeles, California. Its a constant laboratory for her. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. When 'Poor Little Rich Girl' Gloria Vanderbilt Mesmerized - Forbes Gertrude's younger brother, Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt, made different kinds of life choices. Image: Gloria left an apartment in Manhattan for Leopold Stokowski Jr. Gloria Vanderbilt's Relationship With Her Children, Anderson Cooper Over the course of his life, he has owned several landscaping businesses in the New York and New England areas and has a wife, Emily Goldstein, and two daughters, Abra and Aurora. Others cranked out feverish stories decrying her lifestyle. [12] In October 1921, with their father's permission, Morgan and her sister Thelma, both reportedly 16 years of age, ended their schooling and moved by themselves into an apartment at 40 Fifth Avenue, a private townhouse. Anderson Cooper's mother Gloria Vanderbilt is an American artist, designer, author, actress, and member of the Vanderbilt family of New York. [37], When Vanderbilt celebrated her 90th birthday on February 20, 2014, a collection of her drawings, paintings and collages was placed on display in the 1stdibs Gallery at New York Design Center in New York City, in an exhibit called "The Left Hand Is The Dreamer". His mother, Gloria, just passed away due to stomach cancer. "Thirty years ago today, before my eyes, I lost Carter Cooper," she wrote. In 1993, Vanderbilt won a $1.5 million judgement against the estate of her lawyer, Thomas Andrews, and Zois, who she said took advantage of her and swindled her out of money after attaining her power of attorney; it is unclear whether the incident with Christopher was involved in the case. Courtesy Anderson Cooper Fashion icon and artist . ), Its one of the great wonderlands, Wendy Goodman, design editor of New York magazine, told this reporter when she visited Ms. Vanderbilt there in 2016. Gloria Vanderbilt with . The heir to the Vanderbilt railroad fortune, she spent most of her life in the public eye, sometimes to her chagrin. Gloria Vanderbilt Facts 1. All rights reserved. After her father's death, she was confirmed and raised in the Catholic Church, to which her mother belonged. October 1, 1934: the opening court date of The Matter of Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt was in bed reading a paper, and there was Lady Milford Haven beside the bed with her arm around Mrs. Vanderbilts neckLady Milfords arm around Mrs. Vanderbilts neckand kissing her just like a lover.. In the apartment, things would come and go. Following a short fling with Frank Sinatra when she was 30, Vanderbilt ultimately decided to divorce Stokowski in 1955. They had also covered salacious court cases, like the trial for the 1927 murder that inspired Double Indemnity. And, in the end, what greater gift can a mother give to her son?". [32] The court declined to hear the matter and it once again came before the State of New York's Supreme Court. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, with Palma Wayne. Besides the testimony from the nurse and the maid, some of the statements against Gloria Morgan came from young Gloria herself. We strive for accuracy and fairness. At the age of 21, she assumed control of her inheritance. Her own art work is everywhere, the naf paintings, shadow boxes and sparkly collages she had been making all her life, even in her last years, when she began selling pieces, to the delight of Mr. Cooper, from the Instagram account he set up for her. The Tragic Life & Death of Gloria Vanderbilt - Facts Verse All those colors, and the curiosity shop of objects. Conservative courts notwithstanding, Judge Carew had found himself puzzling over an apparent contradiction in his courtroom: Did Gloria want to live with her aunt or with her mother? In 1934, more than 100 people in the city died of hunger. A family dispute over who should have guardianship of a shy and sickly 10-year-old heiress, Gloria Vanderbilt, had escalated . Vanderbilt was born on February 20, 1924, in Manhattan, New York City, the only child of railroad heir Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt of the Vanderbilt family[2][3] and his second wife, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt. Maury Paul, who wrote the hugely influential "Cholly Knickerbocker" column (he coined the terms "caf society" and "Old Guard") backed Gloria's mother all the way. Better known as Stan, Stokowski is Vanderbilt's oldest child, born in 1950, during her marriage to conductor Leopold Stokowski. [12], Litigation continued, however. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt believed that she was 20, rather than 21, because her mother had long declared the twins' birth year as 1905 rather than 1904. As Cooper puts it, "My mom has been famous for longer than just about anyone else alive today.". Her life was the 1934 equivalent of clickbait. A family dispute over who should have guardianship of a shy and sickly 10-year-old heiress, Gloria Vanderbilt, had escalated into the "trial of the century." As a result of a great deal of hearsay evidence admitted at trial, the scandalous allegations of Vanderbilt's lifestyleincluding a purported lesbian relationship with Nadezhda de Torby, the Marchioness of Milford Haven,[21][23][24] and a brief engagement to Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg[25][21][26]led to a new standard in tabloid newspaper sensationalism. The legendary heiress and fashion icon struggled with a challenging family life from the time she was a child. Gloria Vanderbilt's sons and grandchildren: How many did she have? She was married four times, first to Hollywood agent Pat DiCicco when she was 17, and then to Leopold Stokowski, when she was 21 and he was 63. The document, filed Monday in Manhattan surrogate court, says the recently deceased socialite fashion icons eldest son Leopold Stan Stokowski will get her Midtown pad in a co-op at 30 Beekman Place, but all the rest of her property goes to the CNN host. More From Town &. "You had all of these papers scrapping to get a scoop," says Belsky, author of Blonde Ice and other thrillers featuring reporters.