{{Infobox Person | name = Cornelius Vanderbilt | image = Vanderbilt.jpg | image_size = 150px | caption = | birth_date = [[december 17 2007 | birth_place = Staten Island, New York | death_date = January 4, 1877 (aged 82) | death_place = New York, New York | occupation = Entrepreneur }} Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), also known by the sobriquets The Commodore [1] [2] or Commodore Vanderbilt [3], was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads and was the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_York. ... For other uses, see Staten Island (disambiguation) Staten Island, shown in an enhanced satellite image Staten Island is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located on an island of the same name on the west side of the Narrows at the entrance of New York Harbor. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_York. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation. ... Commodore is a military rank used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a Captain, but is less than that of a Flag Officer. ... For the sequel to the computer game Entrepreneur, which has no article of its own, see The Corporate Machine. ... Damaged package The Panama canal. ... “railroads” redirects here. ... The Vanderbilts are a prominent family in the history of the United States. ...

Vanderbilt was the fourth of nine children of Cornelius Vanderbilt and Phebe Hand, a family of modest means in Port Richmond on Staten Island. Port Richmond, seen from Bayonne, New Jersey across the Kill Van Kull Port Richmond is a neighborhood situated on the North Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It is along the waterfront of the Kill Van Kull, with the southern terminus of... For other uses, see Staten Island (disambiguation) Staten Island, shown in an enhanced satellite image Staten Island is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located on an island of the same name on the west side of the Narrows at the entrance of New York Harbor. ...

His great-great-great-grandfather, Jan Aertson, was a Dutch farmer from the village of De Bilt in Utrecht, the Netherlands, who immigrated to New York as an indentured servant in 1650. The Dutch van der ("of the") was eventually added to Aertson's village name to create "van der bilt", which was eventually condensed to Vanderbilt. Most of Vanderbilt's ancestry was English, with his last ancestor of Dutch origin being Jacob Vanderbilt, his grandfather. Cornelius Vanderbilt's business was railroads. His company name was the Accessory Transit Company.([4]). De Bilt is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. ... Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country. ... An indentured servant (also called a bonded laborer) is a labourer unde from the employer in exchange for an extension to the period of their indenture, which could thereby continue indefinitely. ... Year 1650 (MDCL) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Accessory Transit Company was a company set up by Cornelius Vanderbilt and others during the California Gold Rush in the 1850s, to transport would-be prospectors from the east coast of the United States to the west coast. ...

On December 19, 1813, Cornelius Vanderbilt married his cousin and neighbor, Sophia Johnson (1795-1868), daughter of his aunt Elizabeth Hand Johnson. He and his wife had 13 children, 12 of whom survived childhood. is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1813 (MDCCCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, is named for Cornelius, and the university's mascot is the commodore. Vanderbilt University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ... “Nashville” redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Largest metro area Nashville Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ...

Ferry empire

As a young boy, Cornelius Vanderbilt worked on ferries in and around New York, quitting school at age 11. By age 16 he was operating his own business, ferrying freight and passengers between Staten Island and Manhattan. During the War of 1812, he received a government contract to supply the forts around New York City. He operated sailing schooners, which is where he gained his nickname of "Commodore." The ferryboat Dongan Hills, filled with commuters, about to dock at a New York City pier, circa 1945. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the U.S. – U.K. war. ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... Two-masted fishing schooner A schooner (IPA: ) is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts. ...

In 1818, he turned his attention to steamships. The New York legislature had granted Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston a thirty-year legal monopoly on steamboat traffic. Working for Thomas Gibbons, Vanderbilt undercut the prices charged by Fulton and Livingston for service between New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Manhattan—an important link in trade between New York and Philadelphia. Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ... A legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... For other persons named Robert Fulton, see Robert Fulton (disambiguation). ... Robert Livingston was the name of several men, many of whom were members of a prominent family that effectively ran New York throughout the colonial and Federal periods. ... A legal monopoly, statutory monopoly, or de jure monopoly is a monopoly that is protected by law from competition. ... Thomas J. Gibbons (1904 – 1987), was the Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner appointed by Mayor Joseph S. Clark Jr. ... Nickname: Location of New Brunswick in Middlesex County Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex Established December 30, 1730 Incorporated September 1, 1784 Government  - Type Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)  - Mayor James Cahill Area  - City  5. ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ...

He avoided capture by those who sought to arrest him and impound the ship. Livingston and Fulton offered Vanderbilt a lucrative job piloting their steamboat, but Vanderbilt rejected the offer. He said "I don't care half so much about making money as I do about making my point, and coming out ahead." For Vanderbilt, the point was the superiority of free competition over the government-granted monopoly.^[1] Livingston and Fulton sued; the case went before the United States Supreme Court and ultimately broke the Fulton-Livingston monopoly on trade. In economics, a government-granted monopoly (also called a de jure monopoly) is a form of coercive monopoly in a government grants exclusive privilege to a private individual or firm to be the sole provider of a good or service; potential competitors are excluded from the market by law, regulation... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

In 1829, Vanderbilt struck out on his own to provide steam service on the Hudson River between Manhattan and Albany, New York. By the 1840s, he had 100 steamships plying the Hudson and was reputed to have the most employees of any business in the United States. The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami, Muhheakantuck, is a river that runs through the eastern portion of New York State and, along its southern terminus, demarcates the border between the states of New York and... For other uses, see Albany. ...

During the 1849 California Gold Rush, he offered a shortcut via Nicaragua to California—shaving 600 miles (960 km) at half the price of the Isthmus of Panama shortcut. The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutters Mill. ... The Isthmus of Panama. ...

Railroad empire

Cornelius Vanderbilt versus James Fisk ("Diamond Jim") in the famous rivalry with the Erie Railroad

Image File history File links The Great Race for the Western Stakes, 1870, Cornelius Vanderbilt versus James Fisk; Currier & Ives lithograph. ... Image File history File links The Great Race for the Western Stakes, 1870, Cornelius Vanderbilt versus James Fisk; Currier & Ives lithograph. ... James Fisk, Jr. ... The Erie Railroad (AAR reporting mark ERIE) was a railroad that operated in New York State, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, connecting New York City with Lake Erie, and extending west to Cleveland, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. ...

Early rail interest

Vanderbilt's involvement with early railroad development led him into being involved in one of America's earliest rail accidents. On November 11, 1833, he was a passenger on a Camden & Amboy train that derailed in the meadows near Hightstown, New Jersey, when a coach car axle broke because of a hot journal box. He spent a month recovering from injuries that included two cracked ribs and a punctured lung. Uninjured in this accident was former U.S. President John Quincy Adams, riding in the car ahead of the one that derailed. Adams's son was killed in the accident. [5] Charles Morgan (1795 - 1878) was a U.S. railroad and shipping magnate. ... Cornelius Kingsland Garrison (March 1, 1809 - May 1, 1885) was a shipbuilder, capitalist, and Mayor of San Francisco (1853-1854). ... is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1833 (MDCCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... A map of the C&A and other related railroads. ... Hightstown highlighted in Mercer County. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was a diplomat, politician, and the sixth President of the United States (March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829). ...

In 1844, Vanderbilt was elected as a director of the Long Island Rail Road, which at the time provided a route between Boston and New York City via a steamboat transfer ([6]). In 1857, he became a director of the New York and Harlem Railroad ([7]). Jan. ... LIRR redirects here. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and possibly the first street railway, running north from Lower Manhattan to and beyond Harlem. ...

New York Central Railroad

In the early 1860s, Vanderbilt started withdrawing capital from steamships and investing in railroads. He acquired the New York and Harlem Railroad in 1862-63, the Hudson River Railroad in 1864, and the New York Central Railroad in 1867. In 1869, they were merged into New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. The Upper Hudson River Railroad runs along the Hudson River in New York State in the Adirondack Mountains. ... For the current company, see New York Central Lines LLC. The New York Central Railroad (AAR reporting marks NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States. ... The New York Central Railroad, known simply as the New York Central in its publicity and with the AAR reporting mark of NYC, was a railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. ...

Looking out the north end of the Murray Hill Tunnel towards the station in 1880; note the labels for the New York, Harlem and New York, and New Haven Railroads; the New York Central and Hudson River was off to the left. The two larger portals on the right allowed some horse-drawn trains to continue further downtown.

Image File history File links 1880 view of Grand Central Terminal from [1]. The text cut off to the left is for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. ... Image File history File links 1880 view of Grand Central Terminal from [1]. The text cut off to the left is for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. ... The north end of the tunnel The Murray Hill Tunnel passes under Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York, New York, USA, just south of Grand Central Terminal. ... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Grand Central Depot

Main article: Grand Central Terminal The main concourse Grand Central Terminal (GCT, often unofficially called Grand Central Station) is a terminal rail station at 15 Vanderbilt Avenue (42nd Street and Park Avenue) in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. ...

In October 1871, Vanderbilt struck up a partnership with the New York and New Haven Railroad to join with the railroads he owned to consolidate operations at one terminal at East 42nd Street called Grand Central Depot, which was the original Grand Central Terminal, where his statue reigns today. The glass roof of the depot collapsed during a blizzard on the same day Vanderbilt died in 1877. The station was not replaced until 1903-13. 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (AAR reporting mark NH) was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States. ... The main concourse Grand Central Terminal (GCT, often unofficially called Grand Central Station) is a terminal rail station at 15 Vanderbilt Avenue (42nd Street and Park Avenue) in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. ...

Rivalry with Jay Gould

By 1873, he had extended the lines to Chicago, Illinois. Around this time Vanderbilt tried to gain control of the Erie Railroad, which brought him into direct conflict with Jay Gould, who was then in control of the Erie. Gould won the battle for control of the railroad by "watering down" its stock, which Vanderbilt bought in large amounts. Vanderbilt lost more than $7 million in his attempt to gain control, although Gould later returned most of the money. 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Jay Gould (1836-1892) Jason Gould (May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American financier. ...

Vanderbilt was very accustomed to getting what he wanted, but it seems that he met his match in Jay Gould. Vanderbilt would later say of his loss "never kick a skunk". In fact this was not the last time that Gould would serve to challenge a Vanderbilt. Years after his father's death, William Vanderbilt gained control of the Western Union Telegraph company. Jay Gould then started the American Telegraph Company and nearly forced Western Union out of business. William Vanderbilt then had no choice but to buy out Gould, who made a large profit from the sale. Western Union (NYSE: WU) is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. ...

Vanderbilt legacy

Following his wife's death, Vanderbilt went to Canada where, on August 21, 1869, he married a sister, Frank Crawford, from Mobile, Alabama. Crawford's great-grandfather, was a brother to Phebe Hand Vanderbilt (the Commodore's mother) and to Elizabeth Hand Johnson (the Commodore's former mother-in-law and maternal aunt). Crawford herself was 43 years younger than her husband-to-be. Her cousin, Holland McTyeire, convinced Cornelius Vanderbilt to commit funding for what would become Vanderbilt University. is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... It has been suggested that List of people from Mobile, Alabama be merged into this article or section. ... Holland Nimmons McTyeire (July 28, 1884–1889) was a Bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in the USA, elected in 1866. ... Vanderbilt University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

Ruthless in business, Cornelius Vanderbilt was said by some to have made few friends in his lifetime but many enemies. In his will, he disowned all his sons except for William, who was as ruthless in business as his father and the only one Cornelius believed capable of maintaining the business empire.

At the time of his death, aged 82, Cornelius Vanderbilt's fortune was estimated at more than US$100 million. He willed US$95 million to son William but "only" US$500,000 to each of his eight daughters. His wife received US$500,000 in cash, their modest New York City home, and 2,000 shares of common stock in New York Central Railroad. “USD” redirects here. ...

Vanderbilt gave little of his vast fortune to charitable works, leaving the $1 million (the equivalent of $700 million today^{[citation needed]}) he had promised for Vanderbilt University and $50,000 to the Church of the Strangers in New York City. He lived modestly, leaving his descendants to build the Vanderbilt houses that characterize America's Gilded Age. Biltmore house The Breakers, Newport, RI Marble House Newport, RI From the late 1870s to the 1920s, the Vanderbilt family employed Americas best Beaux-Arts architects and decorators to build an unequalled string of New York townhouses and East Coast palaces in the United States. ... The Breakers, a gilded-age mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. ...

According to The New York Times, he would be worth $143 billion in 2007 dollars, making him the second-wealthiest person in American history.^[2] The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... “USD” redirects here. ...

Vanderbilt is also heavily associated with the standardization of gauges and the use of steel in rails.

He is also featured in the game, Sid Meier's railroad as a opposing baron in the game.

Descendants

Main article: Vanderbilt family The Vanderbilts are a prominent family in the history of the United States. ...

Cornelius Vanderbilt was buried in the family vault in the Moravian Cemetery at New Dorp on Staten Island. Three of his daughters and son, Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt, contested the will on the grounds that their father had insane delusions and was of unsound mind. The unsuccessful court battle lasted more than a year, and Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt committed suicide in 1882. The Moravian Cemetery at 2205 Richmond Road in New Dorp on Staten Island, New York is the largest cemetery on the island. ... The approximate area of the neighborhood of New Dorp on Staten Island is shown highlighted in orange. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Children of Cornelius Vanderbilt and Sophia Johnson:

1. Phebe Jane (Vanderbilt) Cross (1814-1878)
2. Ethelinda (Vanderbilt) Allen (1817-1889)
3. Eliza (Vanderbilt) Osgood (1819-1890)
4. William Henry Vanderbilt (1821-1885)
5. Emily Almira (Vanderbilt) Thorn (1823-1896)
6. Sophia Johnson (Vanderbilt) Torrance (1825-1912)
7. Maria Louisa (Vanderbilt) Clark Niven (1827-1896)
8. Frances Lavinia Vanderbilt (1828-1868)
9. Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt (1830-1882)
10. Mary Alicia (Vanderbilt) LaBau Berger (1834-1902)
11. Catherine Juliette (Vanderbilt) Barker LaFitte (1836-1881)
12. George Washington Vanderbilt (1839-1864)

William H. Vanderbilt (May 8, 1821 – December 8, 1885) was a businessman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family. ...

See also

• List of most wealthy historical figures

There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

Railroads controlled by Vanderbilt

• New York and Harlem Railroad (1863-)
• Hudson River Railroad (1864-)
• New York Central Railroad (1867-)
• Canada Southern Railway (1873-) [8]
• Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (1873?-)
• Michigan Central Railroad (1877-) [9]
• New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate Road) (1882-)
• West Shore Railroad (1885-)
• Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad
• Mohawk and Malone Railroad
• Fall Brook Railway
• Beech Creek Railroad
• Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh Railroad
• Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
• Lake Erie and Western Railroad
• Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad

The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and possibly the first street railway, running north from Lower Manhattan to and beyond Harlem. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Upper Hudson River Railroad runs along the Hudson River in New York State in the Adirondack Mountains. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... For the current company, see New York Central Lines LLC. The New York Central Railroad (AAR reporting marks NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States. ... Cunt BAg Twat Fuk suck my penis ring 0778851865!!!!!!Year 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Canada Southern Railway (AAR reporting mark CASO) was a railroad in southern Ontario, Canada, founded in 1869. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroads Water Level Route from Buffalo, New York to Chicago, Illinois, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Michigan Central Railroad operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, Ontario, and Illinois in the United Statesand Canada. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The New York, Chicago and St. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The West Shore Railroad was the final name of a railroad from Weehawken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City, north along the west shore of the river to Albany, New York and then west to Buffalo. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad, commonly known as The Hojack Line, operated along the south shore of Lake Ontario, from Niagara Falls, New York to Oswego, New York. ... In Brief Begun as an idea of the businessmen of Warren, Pennsylvania about 1833 to build a railway following the Conewango River valley north toward Lake Erie. ... The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. ... The Lake Erie & Western Railroad was a railroad that operated in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. ... The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) (AAR reporting mark PLE), also known as the Little Giant, was formed on May 11, 1875. ...

Works cited

The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Burton W. Folsom, Jr.. The Myth of the Robber Barons, Young America.
• Robert Sobel. The Big Board: A History of the New York Stock Market (1965) reprinted Beard Books (May 2000) ISBN 1-893122-66-2