Vanderbilt, Cornelius

Vanderbilt, Cornelius ( 1794 – 1877 )
US businessman and philanthropist. Vanderbilt amassed a fortune from shipping and railroads, and from this made an endowment to found Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee ( 1873 ). Subsequent generations of his family, including his son William Henry Vanderbilt ( 1821 – 85 ), increased the family wealth and continued his philanthropy.