What were the major accomplishments of Cornelius Vanderbilt?
Cornelius Vanderbilt began a passenger ferry business in New York harbor with one boat, then started his own steamship company, eventually controlling Hudson River traffic. He also provided the first rail service between New York and Chicago.
What industry is Cornelius Vanderbilt most known for?
railroad
Shipping and railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) was a self-made multi-millionaire who became one of the wealthiest Americans of the 19th century. As a boy, he worked with his father, who operated a boat that ferried cargo between Staten Island, New York, where they lived, and Manhattan.
What did William Vanderbilt invent?
He greatly expanded the New York Central network and acquired the Chicago and North Western; the Nickel Plate (New York, Chicago, & St. Louis); Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis; and other railroads.
How did Cornelius Vanderbilt make so much money?
Vanderbilt made his millions by controlling two burgeoning industries: the steamboat industry and the railroad industry. When he died, Vanderbilt’s estate was estimated to be worth $100,000,000.
What kind of railroads did Cornelius Vanderbilt own?
By the 1850s he had turned his attention to railroads, buying up so much stock in the New York and Harlem Railroad that by 1863 he owned the line. He later acquired the Hudson River Railroad and the New York Central Railroad and consolidated them in 1869.
Who was the founder of the Vanderbilt University?
When shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt donated $1,000,000 in 1873, the school was founded as Vanderbilt University, and classes began two years later. Initially, the university was divided into departments of academics, Bible, law, and medicine; preparatory classes were offered through 1887.
What did Cornelius Vanderbilt do after the war?
Vanderbilt expanded his ferry operation still further following the war, but in 1818 he sold all his boats and went to work for Thomas Gibbons as steamship captain. While in Gibbons’s employ (1818–29), Vanderbilt learned the steamship business and acquired the capital that he would use in 1829 to start his own steamship company.