Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Vanderbilt family
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...
, and the wife of a Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
count.
Family background
Countess Széchenyi was born Gladys Moore Vanderbilt, in 1886, the seventh and youngest child of Alice Claypoole GwynneAlice Claypoole Gwynne
Alice Claypoole Gwynne Vanderbilt was the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and reigned as the dowager Mrs. Vanderbilt for over 60 years.-Biography:...
with Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, heir, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
, the President and Chairman of the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
. Gladys grew up in the family home on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and their summer "cottage", The Breakers
The Breakers
The Breakers is a Vanderbilt mansion located on Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a National Historic Landmark, a contributing property to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, and is owned and operated by the Preservation Society of Newport...
in Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
.
Her first cousin was Consuelo Vanderbilt
Consuelo Vanderbilt
Consuelo Balsan , was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family...
, Duchess of Marlborough
Duchess of Marlborough
Duchess of Marlborough may refer to:* Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough , wife of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough* Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough , daughter and heiress of the 1st Duke of Marlborough...
.
Marriage
Gladys Vanderbilt married Hungarian CountCount
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
László Széchenyi
László Széchenyi
Count László Széchenyi de Sárvár-felsővidék , Austro Hungarian military officer, Imperial Chamberlain, diplomat, venture capitalist. He was son of count Imre Széchenyi de Sárvár-felsővidék and countess Alexandrina Sztáray-Szirmay de Sztára, Nagymihály, Csernek, Tarkeö, Szirma et Szirmabessenyő...
on January 27, 1908 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The couple visited Hungary almost every summer with their five daughters:
- Cornelia Széchenyi who married Eugene B. Roberts of Bowie, Maryland, and had three children, Gladys, Cornelia and Eugene.
- Alice Széchenyi married Hungarian Count Béla Hadik and had two sons, László and János.
- Gladys Széchenyi married the English
Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham, and had two sons, Stormont and Robin.
- Sylvia Széchenyi married Hungarian Count Antal Szapáry, and had two children, Pál and Gladys.
- Ferdinandine Széchenyi married the Austrian Count Alexander zu Eltz and had two sons, Peter and Nicholas.
Death
Countess Széchenyi died in 1965. Her daughter, Countess Sylvia Szapáry maintained a residence at her grandparents' summer "cottage", The BreakersThe Breakers
The Breakers is a Vanderbilt mansion located on Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a National Historic Landmark, a contributing property to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, and is owned and operated by the Preservation Society of Newport...
until her death on March 1, 1998.