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Birth
Cornelius Vanderbilt was born in the area of Staten Island, New York, United States of America. -
Start of an Entrepreneur
Cornelius started his entrepreneur career in 1810. Cornelius used his first boat to take people between Staten Island and New York. During the War of 1812 Vanderbilt turned his operation into a fleet, which reinforced the government outposts. -
Getting Married
December 19, of 1813 the Commodore married his first cousin Sophia Johnson. They went on to have thirteen kids but only eleven of them lived to adulthood. -
The Selling of His Ships
In 1818 the Commodore sold his boats and started working for Thomas Gibbons as a steamship captain. While Cornelius was working for Thomas (1818-1829) Cornelius learned the steamship business and took the money that he earned and started his own steamship company. -
Gold Rush
In 1834 the Commodore was worth five hundred thousand dollars. Cornelius made even more money during the gold rush. -
The Start of Vanderbilt"s Railroad Monopoly
In the 1850s the Commodore had turned his full notice to the railroads. The Commodore bought as much stock as he could in the New York and Harlem Railroad that by 1863 he owned them. -
Atlantic & Pacific Steamship Company
The Commodore began ventures in Central America and started supervising transatlantic steamships from New York to France. In 1859 was when he established the Atlantic & Pacific Steamship Company. -
Gaining "Power"
The Commodore took control of the Long Island Railroad. Cornelius got a controlling interest in the Hudson River railway in 1864. In 1865 he became the Hudson River railway president. -
American Transportation
The Commodore got the Central Railroad and combined it with other railroads that he owned. Over the next decade the commodore acquired the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. He also got the Michigan Southern Railroad, the Michigan Central Railroad, and the Canada Southern Railway. -
Combing of Railroads
The Commodore combined his two key railroad lines together to form the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. This railroad was one of the first major corporations in the history of America. -
Grand Central Depot Construction
Cornelius said that the Grand Central Depot was to be started and finished in 1871. In 1913 the Grand Central Depot was replaced by the Grand Central Terminal. -
Death
Cornelius Vanderbilt before he died he donated one million dollars to what used to be Central University and is know know as Vanderbilt University. He died of exhaustion from his cronic disorders. He died in Manhattan, New York, United States of America.
