Emily Thorn Vanderbilt (January 31, 1852 – July 28, 1946) was an American philanthropist and a member of the prominentVanderbilt family. She financed the creation of New York'sSloane Hospital for Women in 1888 with an endowment of more than $1,000,000.[1][2]
She was born in 1852 as the fifth child, and second daughter, ofWilliam Henry Vanderbilt (1821–1885) and Maria Louisa Kissam (1821–1896). Her paternal grandparents wereCornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877) and his wife, Sophia Johnson (1795–1868).[3]
In 1872, the twenty year old Vanderbilt was married toWilliam Douglas Sloane (1844–1915),[5] a brother of Henry T. Sloane of the carpet firmW. & J. Sloane. Together, Emily and William became the parents of three daughters and two sons:[6]
In 1920, after Sloane's death, she marriedHenry White (1850–1927), American Ambassador to France and Italy, and a signatory of theTreaty of Versailles.[8][9]
Emily Thorn Vanderbilt Sloane White's grandchildren include Adele Hammond, paternal grandmother of actorTimothy Olyphant, Alice Frances Hammond, wife ofjazz musicianBenny Goodman, Rachel Hammond, cattle breeder, and wife of Manley D. Breck, andJohn Henry Hammond II, talent scout.