Q&A: What is Anderson Cooper’s connection to the Vanderbilt family?

It's my understanding that Anderson Cooper of CNN is a member of the Vanderbilt family. Does that give him any partial ownership claim to the Biltmore House in Asheville, N.C.?

--- Hester Thompson, Sandy Springs

A: The genealogy, as explained by Biltmore Estate spokeswoman Elizabeth Sims, is complicated.

As she said, Anderson Cooper is Gloria Vanderbilt's son from her fourth marriage, to author Wyatt Emory Cooper.

That branch of the family descended from George Vanderbilt's older brother, Cornelius II, and his wife, Alice Gwynne Claypool. They had a son, Reginald, who married Gloria Morgan. Gloria Vanderbilt is their daughter.

The owner of Biltmore Estate, William Vanderbilt Cecil, is a cousin "removed a time or two," Sims said.

Bottom line: "Anderson Cooper does not have any ownership in, or get any special privileges at, Biltmore Estate," Sims said, "although we would love to have him visit."

In case you're wondering, Gloria Vanderbilt also was married to Pasquale DiCicco, Leopold Stokowski and Sidney Lumet.

ExploreHBO film explores Gloria Vanderbilt’s life through her son

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