Cornelius Vanderbilt Research Paper

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Papas 1
Argia Papas
Mrs. Benton
4/25/18
U.S History
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt was born on May 27, 1794, on Staten Island, New York. His parents were poor farmers and, on the side, ran boats between Staten Island and Manhattan in his “two-masted sailing vessel” referred to as a “periauger”. Cornelius worked with his father on the boat while he went to high school. As a teenager he traded cargo in his own periauger. After that, they owned a fleet of boats and learned about design.
During the Civil War, Cornelius gave away his greatest steamship “The Vanderbilt”, which was worth about a million dollars, to the Northern Navy. The boat was used to chase down Confederates. In 1813, Cornelius married a lady named Sophia Johnson, which was also his cousin, and they had 13 kids together. In 1817, Cornelius worked as a captain for a wealthy company in New York that owned steamboats for commercial use. This job provided him the opportunity to understand the steamship business. In the late 1820s, he created his own company, operating steamships and ferry lines around New York. He became a top and popular lead in the industry by starting competition of fares. Sometimes, stiff competition would pay him off a big amount …show more content…
Even though he was rich, his rich neighbors did not like him there as they thought of him as aggressive. Before transcontinental railroads, Cornelius created a service that let passengers travel from New York to California by going across Nicaragua. This way was faster than a traditional route across Panama, and faster than going around Cape Horn at the very bottom of South America, which took months. Cornelius’s line created success, making him $1 million a year. In the 1860s, Cornelius changed his attention from shipping to railroads. He controlled railways starting in Chicago going throughout New York; and created a regional railroad

Cornelius Vanderbilt Research Paper

Cornelius Vanderbilt, also known as the Comodore, was born on May 27, 1794. He was one of nine children. Born and raised in New York, Vanderbilt started working with his father. They worked ferrying products and merchandise between Staten Island and Manhattan. Vanderbilt also attended school during this time when he wasn't needed by his father. At the age of 11, when the family faced hardship, Cornelius was forced to quit school to pursue a career in his father's business. Cornelius s family was…

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Cornelius Vanderbilt Research Paper

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt was born in Staten Island, New York on May 27, 1794. Child of Phebe Hand and Cornelius van Derbilt. His mother was very hard working for success, and his father was focus on his craft. Even though Cornelius Vanderbilt was successful in life he didn’t finish his education. At age eleven he quit school to work with his father ferrying cargo. Vanderbilt once said, “If I had learned education I would not have had time to learn anything else. At age…

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Cornelius Vanderbilt Research Paper

Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt was an entrepreneur who acquired over one hundred million dollars through different industries and business ventures such as ferry boats, shipping, and railroads. He came from a humble background with little money or education, but using determination, he still managed to become a successful businessman. Vanderbilt was born on May 27, 1794 in Staten Island, New York to Cornelius van Derbilt and Phebe Hand. His father was a poor farmer and boatman. Vanderbilt’s introduction…

Words 611 - Pages 3

Cornelius Vanderbilt Research Papers

Dutch settlers who came to America in the mid-1600s, Cornelius Vanderbilt was born into humble circumstances on May 27, 1794, on Staten Island, New York. His parents were farmers and his father also made money by ferrying produce and merchandise between Staten Island and Manhattan in his two-masted sailing vessel, known as a periauger. As a boy, the younger Vanderbilt worked with his father on the water and attended school briefly. When Vanderbilt was a teen he transported cargo around the New York…

Words 526 - Pages 3

Cornelius Vanderbilt Research Paper

Cornelius Vanderbilt began life as a poor boy. He borrowed money from his mother to buy a ferry boat to carry people across the Hudson and from that built a large ocean shipping empire. During the Civil War he got out the the shipping business. He was then the wealthiest man in the country. He then as a hobby brought the New York and Harlem Railroad. The road had begun as a horse car line and added steam cars to carry people on a meandering route up into the suburbs east of the Hudson River. In Manhattan…

Words 607 - Pages 3

Cornelius Vanderbilt Research Paper

Cornelius Vanderbilt was born on May 27, 1794, in Staten Island, New York. He began a passenger ferry business in New York harbor with one boat, then started his own steamship company, eventually controlling Hudson River traffic.Than over a period of time, he had a fleet of ships that carried goods and and people. Over the next 40 years he controls shipping. He decide to start up a railroad business. Vanderbilt invested everything he had into railroads. By the end of the civil war investing his money…

Words 225 - Pages 1