Background
She was born on January 17, 1873 as Edith Stuyvesant Dresser. She was a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, the first governor of Dutch colonial New York, and also the great-niece of Hamilton Fish.
She was born on January 17, 1873 as Edith Stuyvesant Dresser. She was a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, the first governor of Dutch colonial New York, and also the great-niece of Hamilton Fish.
Philanthropy
Edith was a compassionate person who many said that you would not have known she was the mistress of the Biltmore Estate. She was very involved with the families that worked on the Biltmore Estate as well as the surrounding community. Some of her initiatives were sponsoring literacy programs, educational initiatives, and promoted the learning of crafts for women to be able to support themselves.
On the Estate, she would bring maternity baskets to women who just given birth to make sure they had everything they needed.
After her husband’s death in March 1914, she continued her work for the community. She became the first woman president of the State Agricultural Society and with this title Edith helped build a new hospital among numerous other deeds.
Personal life
Her first husband was George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862–1914), the owner of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. After his death in 1914, she sold the land around the Biltmore Estate to the United States Forest Service.
This became part of the Pisgah National Forest.
They had one daughter, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (1900–1976). Paul McCartney, in the band Wings, paid homage to her as well as Martha Washington in his 1973 hit "Mistress Vanderbilt" on the Band on the Run album.