Vanderbilt: I'm a Hustla

Cornelius Vanderbilt 1794-1877

Cornelius Vanderbilt 1794-1877

On my first day of work in The Helmsley Building at 230 Park Avenue 9 years ago, I was told I was sitting where Cornelius Vanderbilt‘s old offices used to be.  I don’t know if this is true, but here are a few things about Vanderbilt that are:

From the NYT Book Review of “The First Tycoon”:

He dropped out of school at age 11.

He was one of the first Americans to lean how to build and operate steam ships.

Midway through the Civil War, he loaned his largest and fastest ship to the Union Navy to chase down Confederate raiders.

In the fall of 1869, Vanderbilt arrested a Wall Street panic by pumping millions of dollars into companies on the verge of failing (during a panic that he helped cause in order to screw with a rival railroad tycoon).

He constructed Grand Central Terminal with his own millions.

Vanderbilt was the richest man in 19th-century America; at his death in 1877, he possessed, at least on paper, one-ninth of all the American currency in circulation.

Cornelius was a natural-born hustler.  The Commodore was taking over the New York shipping business in his teens:

By his 20th birthday, Vanderbilt had made enough cash to compete for trade up and down the coast. While a tiny number of men his age were leisurely studying the classics in Cambridge and Princeton, Vanderbilt became a prosperous “shopkeeper of the sea.”

I am always fascinated by the stories of self-made men, those who did not come from wealthy or connected backgrounds but who are driven to success by something inside of them that, in many cases, cannot be explained.

Full Review: The First Tycoon by TJ Stiles (NYT)

Buy it here: The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Tags: , , ,

This content, which contains security-related opinions and/or information, is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon in any manner as professional advice, or an endorsement of any practices, products or services. There can be no guarantees or assurances that the views expressed here will be applicable for any particular facts or circumstances, and should not be relied upon in any manner. You should consult your own advisers as to legal, business, tax, and other related matters concerning any investment.

The commentary in this “post” (including any related blog, podcasts, videos, and social media) reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints, and analyses of the Ritholtz Wealth Management employees providing such comments, and should not be regarded the views of Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC. or its respective affiliates or as a description of advisory services provided by Ritholtz Wealth Management or performance returns of any Ritholtz Wealth Management Investments client.

References to any securities or digital assets, or performance data, are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others.

Wealthcast Media, an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here: https://www.ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers

Please see disclosures here.

What's been said:

Discussions found on the web
  1. sex commented on Sep 18

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  2. Eat Verts commented on Sep 21

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Information here to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  3. buy THC concentrates online commented on Sep 23

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  4. read this post here commented on Oct 20

    … [Trackback]

    […] Here you will find 39262 additional Information on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  5. DevOps Consulting commented on Nov 05

    … [Trackback]

    […] Here you will find 2913 additional Info to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  6. Working Remotely commented on Nov 09

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Information here on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  7. tangerine banque signin commented on Nov 24

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Info here to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  8. reddit cbd commented on Nov 28

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More Info here on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  9. tangerine online banking sign-in commented on Dec 05

    … [Trackback]

    […] Here you will find 96987 more Information to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  10. copy omega seamaster watch bands commented on Dec 08

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More Information here on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  11. Call Now commented on Dec 11

    … [Trackback]

    […] Info to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  12. 마추자 commented on Dec 18

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Information here on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  13. replica watch commented on Dec 21

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More Information here to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  14. where to order weed online commented on Dec 21

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Information here on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]

  15. fake rolex commented on Dec 29

    … [Trackback]

    […] Info to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/05/10/vanderbilt-im-a-hustla/ […]