Cornelius Vanderbilt was born on Staten Island, New York. He left school at the age of 11. When he was 16, he started a ferry business between New York City and Staten Island. From 1818 to 1829, he was the captain on a ferry line between New York City and New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1829 Vanderbilt founded a steamboat company on the Hudson River. By 1846 he had become a millionaire. He financed and established a shipping line to California via Nicaragua in 1847 and sold out to competitors in 1858. Beginning in 1862 Vanderbilt bought controlling interest in the New York and Harlem Railroad, the Hudson River Railroad, and the New York Central Railroad. In 1873 Vanderbilt built Grand Central Terminal in New York City. In addition, he donated large sums of money to Central University of Nashville, Tennessee, later renamed Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt’s wealth was estimated at $100 million at the time of his death.
