George Washington Vanderbilt II (November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914) was a member of the prominent United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Vanderbilt family

Vanderbilt family

The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...

, which had amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He built and owned Biltmore

Biltmore Estate

Biltmore House is a Châteauesque-styled mansion near Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately-owned home in the United States, at and featuring 250 rooms...

, the largest home in the United States.
The eighth son and youngest child of William Henry Vanderbilt

William Henry Vanderbilt

William Henry Vanderbilt I was an American businessman and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family.-Childhood:William Vanderbilt was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1821...

 and Maria Johnson. George II was named after his father's younger brother, George Washington Vanderbilt I, third son of the family founders, Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...

 and York Johnson.