George continued to collect and catalog his books throughout his life. In addition to frequent visits to Paris, France, where several Vanderbilts kept homes, George Vanderbilt traveled extensively and became fluent in several languages.

His father owned elegant mansions in New York City and Newport, and an 800 acre country estate on Long Island. When William died in 1885 of a stroke, he left a fortune of approximately $200 million, the bulk of which was split