USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Cornelius Vanderbilt, byname Commodore Vanderbilt, (born May 27, 1794, Port Richmond, Staten Island, New York, U.S.-died January 4, 1877, New York, New York), American shipping and railroad magnate who acquired a personal fortune of more than $100 million.

Detailed explanation-2: -Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed “the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping.

Detailed explanation-3: -Upon his death in 1877, at age 82, Cornelius Vanderbilt, also known as Commodore Vanderbilt, was the wealthiest man in the United States and probably the greatest of the nineteenth century railroad barons. Earlier in his business career he probably was the greatest shipping tycoon in the United States.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy.

Detailed explanation-5: -Cornelius Vanderbilt, known as “the Commodore, ” was in his 79th year when he decided to make the gift that founded Vanderbilt University in the spring of 1873. The $1 million that he gave to endow and build the university was Vanderbilt’s only major philanthropy.