#9: Gloria Vanderbilt

Known as: Heriess to the Vanderbilt shipping and railroad fortune, Actress, Artist, Fashion Designer, and Author

Net Worth: $200 million

Children: 4

Gloria Vanderbilt, an heiress to the Vanderbilt shipping and railroad dynasty, led a dazzling life as a prominent figure in New York’s high society. When she bid farewell to the world in June 2019, none of the Vanderbilt family’s considerable fortune found its way into the hands of her son, Anderson Cooper, a celebrated CNN anchor in his own right.

Cooper appeared remarkably at peace with this circumstance, as he conveyed in a conversation with Entertainment Weekly and PEOPLE Magazine editor Jess Cagle. Saying, “I believe my mom and dad both aimed to impart to me that… I grew up with immense privilege, and I was incredibly fortunate to afford my education without the burden of student loans. They covered my college expenses, but beyond that, the responsibility was mine to forge my own path to financial independence.”