Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi (27 August 1886–29 January 1965) was a Hungarian countess and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.

Countess Széchenyi was born Gladys Moore Vanderbilt, in 1886, the seventh and youngest child of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the President and Chairman of the New York Central Railroad. Gladys grew up in the family home on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and their summer cottage, The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island.

Gladys Vanderbilt married Hungarian Count László Széchenyi on 27 January 1908 in New York. The couple visited Hungary on several occasion with daughters Cornelia, Gladys, Alice, Ferdinandine and Sylvia Szechenyi. Travel documents of these visits are available on www.ellisisland.org.

Countess Széchenyi died in 1965. Her daughter, Countess Sylvia Szápary maintained a residence at her grandparents' summer cottage, The Breakers until her death on March 1, 1998. Her first cousin was Consuelo Vanderbilt, duchess of Marlborough.

[edit] Titles

• 1886-1908: Miss Gladys Moore Vanderbilt
• 1908-1938: Countess Gladys Széchenyi
• 1938-1965: The Dowager Countess Széchenyi