Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty

In the 10th chapter, the authors introduce Cooper’s mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, through the story of the famous custody battle for her in 1934. Gloria was the daughter of Reggie Vanderbilt, younger brother to Alfred from Chapter 8, and Gloria Morgan. Reggie was already divorced and 42 years old when he met Morgan, his daughter’s friend, who was 17. He had alcohol addiction and “gambled, spent, and drank his way through the $7.3 million inheritance” (211) from his father, plus more money he’d received when Alfred died. Reggie and Gloria Morgan married in 1923, and their daughter Gloria was born in 1924. The following year, Reggie died of cirrhosis of the liver.

Because he was broke and in debt, the widow Gloria was left with nothing. All their property had to be auctioned off to pay his creditors. Virtually the only thing of value left was a trust fund that Reggie’s father, Cornelius II, had set up for Reggie’s children. Split between two daughters, it amounted to $2.5 million for the infant Gloria. A New York surrogate judge had to decide how to administer it, and Gloria Morgan convinced him she needed the equivalent of $60,000 per month in today’s money to raise her child in the manner expected for a Vanderbilt.