High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney was an American businessman, film producer, writer, and government official, as well as the owner of a leading stable of thoroughbred racehorses. Born in Old Westbury, New York, he was the son of the wealthy and socially prominent Harry Payne Whitney and Gertrude Vanderbilt. As a scion of both the Whitney and Vanderbilt families, he inherited a substantial fortune. However, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney proved to be a very capable businessman, using his connections to make investments that played an important role in the development of the American economy.