NEW YORK - Robert Williamson, a money manager at Chilton Investment and nephew of hedge-fund pioneer Julian Robertson, has died during a visit to his native North Carolina. He was 55.

His body was found Sunday in a car pulled from the Intracoastal Waterway near a boat ramp on Figure Eight Island. The private island, east of Wilmington, was inhabited by wild ponies before becoming a vacation locale for privacy seekers such as Vice President Al Gore and actors Richard Gere and Kim Basinger, according to The Washington Post.

Mr. Williamson was last seen at 2 a.m. leaving a family function for a half-mile drive to the house where he was staying, said Deputy J.L. Augst. The spot where Mr. Williamson’s car left the road is just past the house, Augst said. No foul play is suspected, and the investigation is continuing.

A Manhattan resident, Mr. Williamson never lost touch with his Southern roots, hosting Christmas parties with his wife, Caroline, at which “Southern accents predominated,’’ according to an obituary written by the family.

At Chilton, a Stamford, Conn.-based investment management firm, Mr. Williamson was a manager of Chilton US Hedged Equities, according to the firm.

“Robert was a dear friend, and he will be missed,’’ the firm said. “His curiosity, enthusiasm, intellect, and passion for stock picking were gifts he shared with all who knew him.’’

He joined Chilton in January 2011, one month after the hedge fund he cofounded, Williamson McAree Investment Partners of New York City, closed.

Mr. Williamson and cofounder Edward McAree said in a letter to investors that several large investors had chosen to redeem their money. “Unfortunately, the combination of recent negative performance and the continuing trend of investors moving towards larger, more institutional management firms, proved too much to overcome,’’ they wrote.