Life span: 05/27/1794 to 01/04/1877TabsLife SummaryFull name: Cornelius VanderbiltPlace of Birth: Staten Island, NYBurial Place: New Dorp, NYBirth Date Certainty: ExactDeath Date Certainty: ExactGender: MaleRace: WhiteSectional choice: NorthOrigins: Free StateNo. of Siblings: 8No. of Spouses: 2No. of Children: 10Family: Cornelius Vanderbilt (father), Phebe Hand Vanderbilt (mother), Sophia Johnson (first wife, 1813), Frank Armstrong Crawford (second wife, 1869)Occupation: BusinessmanRelation to Slavery: White non-slaveholderChurch or Religious Denomination: OtherOther Religion: Moravian Note Cards Cornelius Vanderbilt, Gold Rush (American National Biography) ScholarshipWith the coming of the California gold rush in 1849, many gold seekers traveled west via Panama, crossing the isthmus on muleback. Vanderbilt had the idea of crossing Central America via Nicaragua, a route to California several hundred miles shorter than the Panama route. He invested in the American Atlantic and Pacific Ship Canal Company (later changed to Accessory Transit Company), which proposed to cross Nicaragua via the San Juan River, Lake Nicaragua, and a twelve-mile road (later to be a canal) to the Pacific. He built a fleet of steamers to run from New York and New Orleans, built docks on the coasts of Nicaragua and Lake Nicaragua, and improved the road to the Pacific. Soon the route was busy with traffic heading to California. The company prospered, and by 1853 Vanderbilt was worth an estimated $11 million.John F. Stover, "Vanderbilt, Cornelius," American National Biography Online, February 2000, http://www.anb.org/articles/10/10-01678.html. Events Date span begin Life span End Event 05/21/1853 05/21/1853 Cornelius Vanderbilt sets out in his yacht to circumnavigate the world 09/23/1853 09/23/1853 Cornelius Vanderbilt's North Star returns from its round the world journey 09/11/1865 09/13/1865 Two New York yachts with very wealthy owners compete in an ocean race off Long Island Documents Subject Docs Date Title 06/05/1860 San Francisco (CA) Evening Bulletin, “The Only Way to Bring the Steamship Companies to their Senses,” June 5, 1860 07/01/1860 New York Herald, “The California Mails,” July 1, 1860 Images Cornelius Vanderbilt, detail Cornelius Vanderbilt, photograph Cornelius Vanderbilt, photograph, detail Bibliography
Cornelius Vanderbilt, Gold Rush (American National Biography) ScholarshipWith the coming of the California gold rush in 1849, many gold seekers traveled west via Panama, crossing the isthmus on muleback. Vanderbilt had the idea of crossing Central America via Nicaragua, a route to California several hundred miles shorter than the Panama route. He invested in the American Atlantic and Pacific Ship Canal Company (later changed to Accessory Transit Company), which proposed to cross Nicaragua via the San Juan River, Lake Nicaragua, and a twelve-mile road (later to be a canal) to the Pacific. He built a fleet of steamers to run from New York and New Orleans, built docks on the coasts of Nicaragua and Lake Nicaragua, and improved the road to the Pacific. Soon the route was busy with traffic heading to California. The company prospered, and by 1853 Vanderbilt was worth an estimated $11 million.John F. Stover, "Vanderbilt, Cornelius," American National Biography Online, February 2000, http://www.anb.org/articles/10/10-01678.html.
