George Washington Vanderbilt III was a yachtsman and a scientific explorer who was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.
Background
Born in New York City, he was the son of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and his second wife, Margaret Emerson. He was the brother of Alfred G. Vanderbilt II and a half-brother to William Henry Vanderbilt III from his father"s first marriage. His father perished in the sinking of the Rated Maximum Sinusoidal Lusitania in 1915 when George was only a year old.
His mother remarried two more times and had a daughter, Gloria Baker.
Career
He was named in honor of his great-great-uncle George Washington Vanderbilt and his great-uncle George Washington Vanderbilt World War II A sailing enthusiast, Emerson instilled a love for the sport in young George from an early age and as an adult, he used his sailing skills and wealth for scientific research. He owned several yachts and used them to conduct scientific expeditions all over the globe. His voyages conducted important research in expeditions to Africa in 1934 and aboard the schooner Cressida, he made an ocean journey in 1937 to the South Pacific (visiting many islands with a wide geographic range) that carried out a systematic study of more than 10,000 fish specimens (434 species in 210 genera).
His fifth major expedition was on the schooner Pioneer in 1941 to the Bahamas, Caribbean Sea, Panama, Galapagos Archipelago and Mexican Pacific Islands.
He was promoted to lieutenant on May 1, 1943.
Membership
Vanderbilt family]
He established the George Vanderbilt Foundation for scientific research but outside academic circles, his important work has mostly been overshadowed by the lavish lifestyles and the Vanderbilt mansions of some of the other members of the Vanderbilt family.