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Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. [1] [2] After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into leadership positions in the inland water trade and invested in the rapidly growing railroad industry, effectively transforming the geography of the ...
Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt (1869–1874), who died of a childhood illness at the age of five. William Henry Vanderbilt II (1870–1892), who died of typhoid fever while attending Yale University. Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III (1873–1942), whom his father disinherited for marrying Grace Graham Wilson (1870–1953) without his approval. [6]
While most sources attribute this status to Andrew Carnegie, others argue that it could be Bill Gates, Cornelius Vanderbilt I, John Jacob Astor IV, or Henry Ford. Determining the lower ranks is an even more contentious debate. Vanderbilt left a fortune worth $100 million upon his death in 1877, equivalent to $2.4 billion today. [5]
He was the second son of thirteen children born to Cornelius Vanderbilt and Sophia Johnson Vanderbilt, who were first cousins. [3] [4] He had 11 siblings who survived to adulthood; Phebe, Ethelinda, Eliza, William ("Billy"), Emily, Sophia, Maria, Frances, Mary, Catherine, and George (who died in 1863 at age 24). Corneel had another brother ...
WalletPop's Lan Nguyen chats with T.J. Stiles, author of The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Knopf), on how the Commodore became one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in ...
Cornelius Vanderbilt II's bedroom. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Cornelius Vanderbilt II only spent one summer in the Breakers before he had a stroke in 1896 and died three years later.
While many Vanderbilt family members had joined the Episcopal Church, [9] [10] [11] Cornelius Vanderbilt remained a member of the Moravian Church to his death. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] The Vanderbilt family lived on Staten Island until the mid-1800s, when the Commodore built a house on Washington Place (in what is now Greenwich Village ).
Vanderbilt became the richest American after he took over his father's fortune in 1877 until his own death in 1885, passing on a substantial part of the fortune to his wife and children, particularly to his sons Cornelius II and William. He inherited nearly $100 million from his father. The fortune had doubled when he died less than nine years ...