another time gave 1,000,000 lire toward war relief in Italy. Because of his work for the American aviators in France he was made honorary president of the Lafayette Escadrille and presented with the rosette of the Legion of Honor. Mr. Vanderbilt was always much interested in the charities of New York, and gave large sum's annually to deserving institutions. Together with his brothers he founded the Vanderbilt Clinic, into which they put in the neighborhood of half a million dollars. Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt gave $1,000,000 in 1909 to build model tenement houses in New York City for tuberculosis sufferers. In 1913 he gave $100,000 to the Young Men's Christian Association. Another gift by Mr. Vanderbilt was one of $113,750 in 1914 to enable Columbia University to take the title to the north half of the block bounded by One Hundred and Sixteenth Street. His reputation as a sportsman was international. He was long a patron of the French turf, of yachting, and of automobile racing in the United States. For forty years Mr. Vanderbilt had been one of the leading and most generous patrons of the French and American turf. He owned the Sheepshead Bay race track when that track was one of the best known centres of racing in this country. In recent years he had confined his racing to France, although he remained one of the largest stockholders in the company that owned Belmont Park and also held a large block of stock in the Saratoga track. He owned a racing stable at Poissy, France, which he augmented greatly by purchasing a number of horses from the late James R. Keene. He also raced frequently in England, and notable among his horses were Maintenon, Prestige, Northeast, Negofolk and Gibelin. He also was a member of several syndicates that built defenders of the America's Cup. Mr. Vanderbilt and his first wife arranged "The Turkish Ball" in 1877 in the Academy of Music for the benefit of the Christians who had been wounded in the Russian-Turkish war. They formed the "Society of the Crescent and the Cross," which was a forerunner of ambitious welfare projects in later years. Mr. Vanderbilt was one of the organizers of the Metropolitan Club, and was also a member of the Knickerbocker, Union, Racquet and Tennis, South Side Sportsmen's, New York Yacht Clubs, Aero Club of America, National Golf Links, Meadow Brook, Piping Rock, Turf and Field, St. Nicholas, and Cosmopolitan Clubs. He was a founder and president of the New Theatre and a former president of the Metropolitan Opera Company. Mr. Vanderbilt married first, in 1874, Alva Smith, of Mobile, Alabama. Their children are Consuelo, who married the Duke of Marlborough; William K., Jr., and Harold Vanderbilt. Second, in 1903, Mrs. Ann Harriman Sands Rutherford. Mr. Vanderbilt died in Paris, France, July 22nd, 1920. He possessed the qualities that characterized his father and grandfather; sharp, perceptive faculties, quickness of decision, excellent judgment, remarkable intuition and understanding of human nature. He was also a man .of the world, interested in social life and with a definite leaning toward politics, in which he would have doubtless risen to eminence had he chosen to follow it. John Bell Faunce OHN BELL FAUNCE was born in Jersey City, of the family in America, Elder John Faunce, came to this country on the ship "Ann" in 1623. He married in 1633, Patience, daughter of George Morton. John Bell Faunce was educated in private schools and entered Princeton University but did not complete his course preferring to engage in the real estate business. He began business in Jersey City and in 1896 opened real estate offices in New York City. Real estate has attracted the best of American business talent. Transactions in this field are of the greatest importance to material progress; not even the mighty material and mechanical development of the age may move in their channel of progress without the preliminary judgment of localities which require executive gifts of the highest order. Hence successful real estate men are truly representative of the peculiar mind which is an attribute of the typical American. Initiative, insight and a keen sense or comprehension of human nature in the mass are characteristics of real estate men. John Bell Faunce possessed in abundance all of the business qualities required for success in his profession. He was president of the Inter City Land and Securities Company and was largely interested in apartment house properties. He was a member of the New York Real Estate Board of Brokers and the National Democratic Club. |