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Cornelius Vanderbilt
(1794–1877) was an
American
entrepreneur
who built his wealth in
shipping
and
railroads
and was the patriarch of the
Vanderbilt family
. He initially went into business as a
steamship
line operator, becoming so successful that he became known as "
Commodore
", despite never having served in the
United States Navy
. After the
American Civil War
, Vanderbilt sold all his ships, concentrating on railroads. His legacy includes the construction of
New York City
's
Grand Central Terminal
as well as a
$1 million
endowment
to what is now known as
Vanderbilt University
, the largest charitable gift in American history to that date.
Photo:
Mathew Brady
/
Levin Handy
; Restoration:
Michel Vuijlsteke
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