Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) was an American businessman who built one of the largest fortunes of the nineteenth century, first in steamship shipping and then, from the 1860s onward, in railroads. Starting with a single boat ferrying passengers around New York harbor, he expanded into a steamship empire that undercut established competitors on major coastal and transatlantic routes, earning the nickname "Commodore." Late in life he shifted his focus to railroads, consolidating several competing lines into the New York Central Railroad and building Grand Central Depot in New York City as its terminus, methods that made him a pioneer of the corporate consolidation strategies later industrialists would also employ. At his death he was likely the richest man in the United States, and part of his fortune endowed Vanderbilt University, which bears his name.
Facts
RoleAmerican business magnate in railroads and shipping 1 BirthplaceStaten Island, New York 1 Death PlaceNo. 10 Washington Place, New York City 1 Role
Role (category)Business / Industrialist 1 FAQs
Why was Cornelius Vanderbilt called "the Commodore"?
Other ferry captains first used it as a joke about his energy, and it stuck.
The nickname began as a joke. As a young man running his own ferry service in New York Harbor, he worked with such energy that other captains nearby took to calling him "The Commodore" in jest, and the name stuck with him all his life. Commodore was then the highest rank in the United States Navy, and it was a common nickname for important steamboat entrepreneurs. He was first referred to this way in the 1830s, and by the end of the 1840s it was applied only to Vanderbilt.
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In Era
Source Wikipedia: Cornelius Vanderbilt
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Cornelius Vanderbilt
Wikipedialead section
nicknamed "the Commodore"
Early years section
Cornelius Vanderbilt was born in Staten Island, New York, on May 27, 1794
Death section
Cornelius Vanderbilt died on January 4, 1877, at his residence, No. 10 Washington Place
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Gender
Starting with a single boat ferrying passengers around New York harbor, he expanded into a steamship empire that undercut established competitors on major coastal and transatlantic routes, earning the nickname "Commodore." Late in life he shifted his focus to railroads, consolidating several competing lines into the New York Central Railroad and building Grand Central Depot in New York City as its terminus, methods that made him a pioneer of the corporate consolidation strategies later industrialists would also employ.
In Era: The Late Modern Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 - January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping.
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