Anderson Cooper is Heir to the Vanderbilt Family

Anderson Cooper is Heir to the Vanderbilt Family, The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy.

Cornelius Vanderbilt's descendants went on to build great Fifth Avenue mansions, Newport, Rhode Island "summer cottages," the famous Biltmore House and various other exclusive homes.

The family's prominence lasted until the early 20th century, when the ten great Fifth Avenue mansions were torn down and other Vanderbilt homes were sold or turned into museums. The family suffered from a major downfall in prominence by the mid-20th century, known as the Fall of the House of Vanderbilt.

Despite the family's downfall and major loss of fortune, the Vanderbilts remain the seventh wealthiest family in history.

Branches of the family are found on the United States East Coast as well as in the United Kingdom. Sandra Topping,grandaughter of Margaret Emerson married to Alfred Gwynne Vanderbuilt,had two daughters. Alexandra Baker and Whitney Baker.Contemporary descendants include fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt, her son, journalist Anderson Cooper, and musicians John P. Hammond and Joey

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanderbilt_family