Why Is Cornelius Vanderbilt Considered The First Robber Baron?

Although Cornelius Vanderbilt died just as the Gilded Age began, he is included in that era’s history because of his phenomenal wealth and lasting legacy.
Cornelius Vanderbilt was considered the first robber baron, a businessman who get wealthy by unethical means.
Cornelius Vanderbilt was born of modest means and had very humble beginnings. His father was a farmer and ferryman so his first experience as a businessman was a ferry business which he started on his own after his father declined his request of expanding the family business. He started his own business with a loan from his mother and became a direct rival of his father’s business.
The War of 1812 proved profitable for the young entrepreneur because the Federal government contracted

Gibbons recognized Vanderbilt’s business aptitude and let him run the business.
Vanderbilt started using his ship to transport goods, as well and passengers between Manhattan and New Jersey.
In 1829, Vanderbilt had saved enough money to start his own steamboat business. Over the course of the next decade, he had dominated the steamship industry.
“Vanderbilt had increased his fleet to include one hundred ships run by more men than any other American business. He was worth several million dollars.” (Biographies)
Vanderbilt’s established business sense made him the richest man in America. He was very smart, hard working, and competitive, so much so that he was willing to cut prices in order to increase business.
The California Gold Rush of 1849 and the Civil War gave him even more opportunities to expand on his business.
“During the Civil War, Vanderbilt realized that the future of transportation lay not on the high seas but on land” so he set off to change his life and at the same time, change the future of transportation.
In 1857, Vanderbilt became the director of New York & Harlem

In 1868, Vanderbilt decided that he had to buy the New York & Erie Railroad in order to end competition in New York City railroads. He was unsuccessful in doing this, but he had more luck securing railroads that traveled all the way to Chicago. He bought Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and the Northern Indiana Railroads. By 1873, Vanderbilt had control over a system of railroads running from New York to Chicago.
In the final years of his life, Vanderbilt improved and expanded his railroads, and died the richest man in America. When he died, he gave $100 million estate to his eldest son, William Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt was known to be loud, hard headed, and somewhat crude. He rarely gave away his money. His one major philanthropic act was when he donated $1 million to build Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Wright Brothers:
The Wright Brothers plane invention came a little after the Gilded Age, but they are still considered inventors of the Gilded Age because their invention was so influential and important.
The Wright Brothers were the perfect pair of entrepreneurs. They accomplished so much more than they would have than if they worked