- Born
- Died
- Birth nameAlva Erskine Smith
- Alva Vanderbilt was born on January 17, 1853 in Mobile, Alabama, USA. She was married to Oliver Belmont and William Kissam Vanderbilt. She died on January 26, 1933 in Paris, France.
- SpousesOliver Belmont(January 11, 1896 - June 10, 1908) (his death)William Kissam Vanderbilt(April 20, 1875 - March 1895) (divorced, 3 children)
- Instrumental in the founding of the Metropolitan Opera in 1883.
- A tremendous supporter of women's suffrage, her funeral had all-women pallbearers.
- Her brother-in-law, August Belmont, Jr., was the builder of the Belmont Park racetrack.
- Her maternal grandfather, Robert Desha, was a Congressman from 1827 - 1831. Her maternal uncle, Joseph Desha, was governor of Kentucky from 1824 - 1828.
- Mother of the Consuelo Vanderbilt and William K. Vanderbilt. Grandmother of Mrs. Earl E.T. Smith. Great-grandmother of John Spencer-Churchill and Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill. Great-great-grandmother of Lord Blandford and Serena Balfour.
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