Cornelius vanderbilt iii biography

He fought in the border wars with Mexico inand in World War I served overseas as commander of the nd Engineers. Rising through the ranks to Brigadier General, he was placed in command of the 25th Infrantry Brigade. The government of France made him a Commander of the Legion of Honor. The family retained occupancy of the house there three years after his death from a cerebral hemorrhage while vacationing in Miami Beach, Florida aboard his yacht in The mansion, built in by William Henry Vanderbilt, was originally one of two sharing that block designed with identical exteriors and together known as the "Twin Mansions.

She died on January 7, New York: Morrow. Acknowledgments Thanks to Theresa Carrier-Torrealba for starting this profile. Along with most of the National Guard, Vanderbilt was mobilized on 30 June and served on the Mexican border.

Cornelius vanderbilt iii biography: Cornelius Vanderbilt III served as the

The regiment was re-designated as the nd Engineer Regiment on 1 October and became part of the newly organized 27th Divisionwhich was composed of activated units of the New York National Guard. In Julyshortly after his arrival in France, Vanderbilt was promoted to brigadier general. He was also made a commander of the Order of the Crown of Belgium and was awarded that country's Croix de Guerre.

The government of France invested him as a Commander of the Legion of Honor. As Commanding Officer, d Engineers, and as Engineer Officer of the 27th Division, General Vanderbilt's marked qualities of leadership and thorough training and instruction developed a high state of military efficiency in his command, as demonstrated throughout its entire service.

It was in the s when he was first referred to as "commodore", then the highest rank in the United States Navy.

Cornelius vanderbilt iii biography: He was educated at St. Paul's

A common nickname for important steamboat entrepreneurs, by the end of the s it was applied only to Vanderbilt. When the California gold rush began inVanderbilt switched from regional steamboat lines to ocean-going steamships. Many of the migrants to California, and almost all of the gold returning to the East Coast, went by steamship to Panamawhere mule trains and canoes provided transportation across the isthmus.

The Panama Railroad was soon built to provide a faster crossing. Vanderbilt proposed a canal across Nicaraguawhich was closer to the United States and was spanned most of the way across by Lake Nicaragua and the San Juan River.

Cornelius vanderbilt iii biography: Brigadier General Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III

In the end, he could not attract enough investment to build the canal, but he did start a steamship line to Nicaragua, and founded the Accessory Transit Company to carry passengers across Nicaragua by steamboat on the lake and river, with a mile kilometer carriage road between the Pacific port of San Juan del Sur and Virgin Bay on Lake Nicaragua.

Whitea partner in the Accessory Transit Company, led to a business battle in which Vanderbilt forced the company to buy his ships for an inflated price. In earlyhe took his family on a grand tour of Europe in his steamship yacht, the North Star. While he was away, White conspired with Charles Morgan, Vanderbilt's erstwhile ally, to betray him, and deny him money he was owed by the Accessory Transit Company.

When Vanderbilt returned from Europe, he retaliated by developing a rival steamship line to California, cutting prices until he forced Morgan and White to pay him off. He then turned to transatlantic steamship lines, running in opposition to the heavily subsidized Collins Lineheaded by Edward K. Vanderbilt eventually drove the Collins Line into extinction.

That same year, the American military adventurerWilliam Walkerled an expedition to Nicaragua and briefly took control of the government. Garrisoninto opposing Vanderbilt.

Cornelius vanderbilt iii biography: Brigadier General Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt

Randolph convinced Walker to annul the charter of the Accessory Transit Company, and give the transit rights and company steamboats to him; Randolph sold these to Garrison. Garrison brought Charles Morgan in New York into the plan. Vanderbilt took control of the company just before these developments were announced. When he tried to convince the U.