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William A.M. Burden & Co.
Jeffrey A. Weber runs William A.M. Burden & Co., the single-family office for the Vanderbilt railroad fortune, out of New York.
William A.M. Burden & Co.
William A.M. Burden & Co. operates as the private investment office for descendants of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, established to preserve the historic railroad fortune into its seventh generation and beyond. The office is led by CEO Jeffrey A. Weber, who brought deep institutional asset management experience from his tenure as President of York Capital Management. The office maintains a distinctly low-profile posture in New York, forgoing a public website in favor of a relationship-driven model. The firm deploys capital across a mix of asset classes, including private equity, hedge funds, real estate, and a targeted position in biotech ventures. The office's strategy balances direct startup and venture-stage investments with a foundation of fund-of-funds commitments, giving it broad access to external general partners. Real estate holdings include the family's residential properties, notably a Mount Kisco estate and the Sea Change home in Northeast Harbor, Maine, alongside a curated collection of fine art anchored by Paul Cézanne's Apples on loan to the Museum of Modern Art. The office's governance is tightly interwoven with the family's civic and cultural legacy. Weber also chairs the Carter Burden Network, a non-profit established by the family to serve older adults in New York City. The family's institutional influence extends through multi-generational board seats at the Museum of Modern Art, where William A.M. Burden once served as President of the Board of Trustees, and the Smithsonian Institution, where family members have served on the Investment Policy Committee and Board of Regents. The Florence V. Burden Foundation and the William A.M. Burden Foundation manage the philanthropic grant-making, operating separately from the investment portfolio. The structural differentiator for William A.M. Burden & Co. is Weber's dual role bridging a single-family pool of capital with the operational discipline of a $30 billion institutional hedge fund platform. His prior role at York Capital Management, which managed funds for the Burden family, effectively collapsed the distance between a family office and a major institutional allocator. This architecture gives the office a sourcing advantage in manager selection and co-investment flow that most unstaffed family trusts cannot replicate.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Jeffrey A. Weber
Managing Director and CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at William A.M. Burden & Co.?
Jeffrey A. Weber oversees all investment decisions as Managing Director and CEO. He joined the office after serving as President of York Capital Management, where he gained extensive experience managing multi-strategy hedge fund portfolios. His role blends direct principal investing with external manager selection.
What is the connection between William A.M. Burden & Co. and York Capital Management?
The connection is personal, not a formal merger. Jeffrey A. Weber, the CEO of William A.M. Burden & Co., is the former President of York Capital Management. During his tenure at York, the firm managed capital for the Burden family, creating a co-investor relationship that Weber continued to steward when he transitioned to lead the family office directly.
Is William A.M. Burden & Co. structured as a single family office or does it manage outside capital?
It is a single-family office that manages capital exclusively for the descendants of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. The firm does not market itself to external investors and has no public-facing website, consistent with a private office focused solely on internal family balance sheet management.
What is the source of the wealth managed by William A.M. Burden & Co.?
The underlying wealth originates from the Vanderbilt family fortune, built by Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt in the 19th century through railroads and shipping. William A.M. Burden was a direct descendant, and the office continues to steward this multi-generational inheritance.
How does the family's philanthropic activity relate to the investment office?
Philanthropy is managed through separate legal structures. The Florence V. Burden Foundation and the William A.M. Burden Foundation handle grant-making independently. The Carter Burden Network, a non-profit serving older adults, is chaired by the family office's CEO, Jeffrey A. Weber, but operates as a distinct operational entity.
Does the firm participate in direct venture capital deals?
Yes, the office participates in direct startup and venture-stage investments, particularly in the biotech sector. This direct activity is complemented by a larger allocation to private equity and venture capital through fund-of-funds commitments to external managers, providing the family with diversified innovation exposure.
What is the firm's known posture on art and real assets?
The office maintains a significant allocation to tangible assets through a curated art collection and residential real estate. The William A.M. Burden Collection includes Paul Cézanne's Apples, held at the Museum of Modern Art. Real estate holdings include long-held family properties in Mount Kisco, New York, and Northeast Harbor, Maine, managed as part of the overall family balance sheet.
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