-
Essay / Life and Legacy of Cornelius Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is considered one of the most successful men in American history. He was actually an evil and heartless businessman. This is evidenced by the closure of the largest railway port. He should not be considered a good person because he closed one of the biggest railroads which caused a lot of unrest. Vanderbilt was known to be the most successful man, but what people don't know is that he started by taking $100 from his mother and piloting a passenger boat to an island. He started with steamboats, then built the railroad, but he was not a good man to work with. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayVanderbilt was known to be a very successful man, but he was also a fraudster, he started his business by taking $100 from his mother. He invested and saved his money and inherited this trait from his mother. For every dollar he spent, he invested it and spent it wisely. Debt free, he grew his empire and never borrowed money. Vanderbilt was never accepted into the upper class because he never flaunted his money or wealth. Vanderbilt invested his money in steamboats and loaned his money to different businesses. He bought and bought shares in private companies and real estate. He invested millions of money in a building called Grand Central Station, which is one of the largest train depots in the world. Vanderbilt didn't come for money, but he was self-taught. He practiced habits throughout his life, such as living below his means. When Vanderbilt died in 1877, there was an estate called the Vanderbilt Estate and it was estimated to be worth $100,000,000. Today, with a sum of money that would amount to 2.3 billion dollars, which would make him the richest man in the United States. Vanderbilt was considered a man of few words, he rarely spoke. He let others talk and he preferred to listen to what others had to say, and he never let criticism bother him or others. He was a very good judge of character. He went to war against dishonest and/or trustworthy people and embraced individuals of high moral character. Vandetbilt's world was supposed to be as beautiful as gold. He never wanted to go back on his words. Everyone who dealt with Vanderbilt discovered that he was a man of integrity. Vanderbilt spent his life building relationships with other successful people who could open doors for him. Vanderbilt spent the first year of his life with Thomas Gibbons as an employee. Thomas Gibbons was a very successful man in the steamboat industry. Everything Vanderbilt learned, he learned from Gibbons, who mentored him. Vanderbilt was the only employee Gibbons ever had. Vanderbilt understood that to be successful, he had to build a team of disciplines that adhered to his decisions. Vanderbilt embraced new technologies, such as the steamboat, and new forms of business, such as the corporation. He had invested all his profits in the steamboat and entrusted his money to other businessmen. He wasn't afraid to take calculated risks. Towards the end of his life, he even put his entire assets at risk to try to save one of his many investments: the Union Trust. Vanderbilt also loved to compete. He fought his rivals as if he were at war, slashing tariffs and doing everything he could to put them out of business. Vanderbilt never gave up on his dreams. Many times it would put him on the edge of.