Vanderbilt Cup Races

William Kissam Vanderbilt III, born October 26th, 1907, was Willie K. Vanderbilt Jr's (ll) only son of his three children.  A traveler, hunter, and like his father, an avid auto enthusiast of fast cars, Willie K lll spent much of his life enjoying his hobbies to the fullest. Unfortunately, at the age of 26, the Vanderbilt scion was tragically killed on November 15th, 1933, in an auto accident before he could make his mark in the world. Due to his short life, very little is known about the third William K. Vanderbilt.

His last outing with his father occurred in October/November of 1933 when Willie K. ll took 26-year-old Willie K. lll and the family on a long Mediterranean cruise. 

William K. Vanderbilt III (second from right) with his father (third from the right) on November 13, 1933. Wille K's step-children are seated; Barclay Warburton III and Rosemary Warburton.

Others in the photo are Robert Lancaster (far left), Rosamund Warburton Vanderbilt (Willie K's second wife) and Pierre Merillon (far right).

The Brooklyn Eagle November 16th, 1933

After the Mediterranean cruise, upon arrival at Fisher's Island in Miami where his father had his winter estate, Willie K. lll and his cousin Erskine Gwyne, along with his chauffer, J.W. Guppy, set out in his, (or possibly his father's) Bentley for New York City to visit with his mother, Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt.

Despite having his chauffer along on the trip, Willie K was the driver of the Bentley.

About 30 miles north of Savannah, Georgia, in the town of Ridgeland, South Carolina, disaster struck. With a police estimated speed of 75 Miles per hour, the men and Bentley struck a fruit truck stopped at the side of the highway. Vanderbilt and Gwynne were thrown from the vehicle, with chauffer J.W. Guppy getting trapped under the vehicle with a broken leg and other serious injuries.

Willie K. suffered a fractured skull and sadly passed away minutes later in a Ridgeland S.C. doctor's office.

The young Vanderbilt on the right and travelling companion, his cousin Erskine Gwynne to the left.

The destroyed Bentley at the scene with the foreign car's right-hand, drivers' side ripped open.

The New York Times November 16th, 1933

New York Times coverage of the accident.

It's important to mention that by this time in 1933 Willie K. the 3rd was now known as 'William K. Vanderbilt Jr.' since his father, Willie K. ll, no longer went by 'Junior', and hadn't since the elder William K. Vanderbilt the 1st passed away in 1920.

A little more detail about the crash stating there was no obvious reason for the crash other than Willie K. misjudging the space needed to avoid the broken down truck.

Leaving his wife in the truck, the produce dealer and driver, A.B. Stavley, ventured into town for a replacement for his flat tire. With no wrongdoing on the truck driver's part, he was absolved of any fault in the accident. Other than some minor injuries, Stavley's wife was unharmed.

The collision with the fruit truck was not the only accident of the ill-fated trip. A day prior, in Daytona, the speeding Bentley struck a bird with such force, that it smashed through the windshield injuring Vanderbilt's face with flying glass. 

Erskine Gwynne returned to New York with Vanderbilt's body for the funeral the following Saturday.

William K. Vanderbilt lll is interred at the Vanderbilt family mausoleum in Staten Island along with his father, grandfather, as well as many other Vanderbilt family members.

In 1935, Willie K.ll constructed the memorial wing for his son to his Centerport Mansion, Eagle's Nest completely enclosing the courtyard of the house.

The memorial wing displays all his son's trophies from his African safaris and is a highlight to any visit to the museum. The main photo for this post is the painted wall mural found in the wing.