Governor of Rhode Island and Naval Officer. William Henry Vanderbilt was born on November 24, 1901, in Staten Island, Richmond County, New York. A member of the prominent Vanderbilt family and a descendant of Cornelius Vanderbilt, he combined inherited resources with public service, business enterprise, and philanthropy. He was educated at St. George's School in Rhode Island and attended Princeton University for one year. During World War I, he was appointed to the United States Naval Coast Defense Reserve at the age of fifteen, making him one of the youngest Americans to serve during the conflict. Upon reaching the legal age of majority in 1922, he inherited a substantial trust fund, which he later expanded through business ventures and investments. In 1925, he founded a coach bus company known as The Short Line, initially providing passenger service between Newport and Providence. Under his leadership, the company expanded throughout New England and New York, and in 1955 he sold the business, ending his direct involvement in commercial transportation. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Rhode Island in 1928 and was elected later that year to the Rhode Island State Senate, where he served from 1929 to 1935. In 1938, he was elected Governor of Rhode Island and served as the state's fifty ninth governor from 1939 to 1941. In recognition of his public service, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Bates College in 1940. During World War II, he returned to active duty in the United States Navy with the rank of lieutenant commander and was assigned initially to the Panama Canal Zone. He was promoted to commander in 1942 and later advanced to the rank of captain before the end of the war, concluding his naval career as a senior officer in the United States Naval Reserve. In later years, he maintained residences in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and ultimately established a large estate in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He devoted much of his final years to philanthropic efforts, giving a significant portion of his inherited wealth to charitable organizations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. William Henry Vanderbilt died on April 14, 1981, in Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, from cancer and was buried at Southlawn Cemetery in Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

Governor of Rhode Island and Naval Officer. William Henry Vanderbilt was born on November 24, 1901, in Staten Island, Richmond County, New York. A member of the prominent Vanderbilt family and a descendant of Cornelius Vanderbilt, he combined inherited resources with public service, business enterprise, and philanthropy. He was educated at St. George's School in Rhode Island and attended Princeton University for one year. During World War I, he was appointed to the United States Naval Coast Defense Reserve at the age of fifteen, making him one of the youngest Americans to serve during the conflict. Upon reaching the legal age of majority in 1922, he inherited a substantial trust fund, which he later expanded through business ventures and investments. In 1925, he founded a coach bus company known as The Short Line, initially providing passenger service between Newport and Providence. Under his leadership, the company expanded throughout New England and New York, and in 1955 he sold the business, ending his direct involvement in commercial transportation. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Rhode Island in 1928 and was elected later that year to the Rhode Island State Senate, where he served from 1929 to 1935. In 1938, he was elected Governor of Rhode Island and served as the state's fifty ninth governor from 1939 to 1941. In recognition of his public service, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Bates College in 1940. During World War II, he returned to active duty in the United States Navy with the rank of lieutenant commander and was assigned initially to the Panama Canal Zone. He was promoted to commander in 1942 and later advanced to the rank of captain before the end of the war, concluding his naval career as a senior officer in the United States Naval Reserve. In later years, he maintained residences in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and ultimately established a large estate in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He devoted much of his final years to philanthropic efforts, giving a significant portion of his inherited wealth to charitable organizations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. William Henry Vanderbilt died on April 14, 1981, in Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, from cancer and was buried at Southlawn Cemetery in Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.