Cornelius Vanderbilt Research Paper

Cornelius Vanderbilt was an industrialist and a commercial leader. He was known as one of the wealthiest Americans in the 19th century. In his early business career, Vanderbilt was probably the greatest shipping tycoon known in the United States. Many people feared him because of his competitive abilities when it came down to business. Although, he didn’t just sit around and waited for the cash to come. In his early life, he belonged to a poor family, and his father made a living by providing low transportation services. In order to support his family, Cornelius went to work at the age of 11, which was pretty common in those days. He started out by working with his father, but by the age of 16, he bought his first small ferry boat with the $100 his father lent to him. He used the money to buy a small sailboat because in his early days, as his father’s worker, his interest for the shipping industry aroused him. Using the sailboat he purchased, Vanderbilt started his own …show more content…
He started engaging in philanthropy when he married his distant cousin. He donated one million dollars to a Nashville’s Central University, which is now called Vanderbilt University. It was named after him in honor of his generosity. Not only did he donate to a university, but he also gave his son, William Vanderbilt, $95,000,000. Cornelius wanted William to continue the business before he died.
Overall, Cornelius Vanderbilt was a generous man, and he worked hard till the end. Although, he may be considered a robber baron because he paid his employees low wages and made them work long hours, and he got rid of his competition by offering his consumers cheap and better service, he was also a captain of industry. His generosity towards Vanderbilt University and other philanthropic acts made him a captain of industry. In the end, Vanderbilt was considered one of the most accomplished and successful of those