Scion of the powerful Whitney family who bred more than a dozen eventual Kentucky Derby horses.
He studied law at Yale University, where he was a member of the Skull and Bones secret society.
His horse Regret was the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby.
He married Gertrude Vanderbilt, the great-granddaughter of the Commodore.
The actor James Whitmore was also a member of Yale's Skull and Bones.