- Great-grandfather of Consuelo Vanderbilt, and William K. Vanderbilt. 2nd great-grandfather of Gloria Vanderbilt, Mrs. Earl E.T. Smith, C.V. Whitney, and Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr.. 3rd great-grandfather of Anderson Cooper.
- Sometimes-business partner of Leonard Jerome, maternal grandfather of Winston Churchill.
- Provided the initial gift to fund Vanderbilt University, which is named in his honor. The school's sports teams' moniker, the Commodores, is after Vanderbilt's nickname, "The Commodore".
- Began his first business, a transport and freight service between New York City and Staten Island, at age 16 with $100 he borrowed from his mother. He repaid the loan after the first year with an additional $1,000. Upon his death, he was the wealthiest man in the United States.
- 3rd great grandfather of John Spencer-Churchill, Rosemary Spencer-Churchill, and Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill. 4th great-grandfather of Lord Blandford, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, and Serena Balfour.
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