Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

by Edward J. Renehan Jr., Edward Renehan

Using previously unreleased archives, Edward J. Renehan Jr. narrates the compelling life of Cornelius willful progenitor of modern American business. Vanderbilt made his initial fortune building ferry and cargo routes for sailing vessels. Then he moved into steamboats and railroads. With the New York Central, Vanderbilt established the nation's first major integrated rail system, linking New York with Boston, Montreal, Chicago, and St. Louis. At the same time, he played a key role in establishing New York as the financial center of the United States. When he died in 1877, Vanderbilt left a fortune that, in today's dollars, would dwarf that of even Bill Gates. Off Wall Street, Vanderbilt was a hard-drinking egotist and whoremonger devoid of manners or charity. He disinherited most of his numerous children and received an editorial rebuke from Mark Twain for his lack of public giving. Commodore sheds startling new light on many aspects of Vanderbilt's business and private life including, most notably, the revelation that advanced stage syphilis marred his last years. This is the definitive biography of a man whose influence on American life and commerce towers over all who followed him.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Business, Audiobook, American History

364 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2007

About the author

Currently publishing as Edward Renehan

Edward John Renehan, Jr. (born c 1956) is a publisher, consultant and writer, and onetime professional musician. He made headlines in 2008 when he was convicted of document theft.

Reviews

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a complete and utter bastard!

If Edward J. Renehan Jr.'s Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt is anything to go by, shipping and railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt was the definition of scrooge. He amassed more wealth in his lifetime than Bill Gates, almost never gave to charitable causes, eschewed his wife and relations, and had the personality of someone who might as well have saved their breath and had "Go Fuck Yourself!" tattooed to his forehead.

Vanderbilt took ambition and success at all costs as the measure of a man's quality. Nothing else seemed to matter. I found him so despicable I wasn't sure I could rise above my loathing for the man in order to give Renehan's book a fair review, but the 4 star rating would seem to indicate so. Renehan, while lacking an epic Homeric eloquence, proved to be a utilitarian wordsmith. With a subject as formidable as the historical specter that is Vanderbilt, you can't hope to capture him, you can only hope to contain him.

Reading Renehan's entombing of Vanderbilt within Commodore... is well worth your time, provided you're willing spend a few hours on the life of a repellent dick.

[Jacque · Rating 1 out of 5]

Currently reading.
I seems to be a good read with a glass of wine after a hard day when you don't want to think too hard . . . .
On page 44: Boy, it's been a lot of ship info. Doesn't explain what the difference a schooner and sloop is, so a lot of the ship detail seems superfluous at this point. Earlier there was lots of family detail that could have been condensed - no way to remember all the minute details anyway. My 10th grade daughter remembered who the Commodore was from her history class, but I knew nothing about the him other than that the Vanderbilt name represented New York wealth.

If I was only reading the book for information, I would go to Wikipedia instead. However, I do need something a bit tedious to wind down at night, so this definitely serves that purpose.

p 46 End of the chapter -- fun passage: Very interesting tidbit about the attitude of the sailors of the traditional ships (and the Commadore) towards the new fledgling passenger-carrying steamships.

p 47. Did you know that in 1815 the New york Humane Society existed not to serve the needs of stray cats and dogs . . . . but to humans?

I had arrived at page 170, which as about half-way through, a while back and have NO incentive to continue . . . just too tedious. (Even for getting to sleep purposes.) There is so much I skipped over where the author started getting hung up on minute details such as reciting ad nauseum loads of details from public records on periferal people. Ugh. I am trying another bio of C. Vanderbilt.

[Steve Schinke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. I had almost no knowledge of Vanderbilt prior to this book. It seems to be an objective account of how an illiterate jerk became one of the richest men in the world through hard work and total disregard of morality and ethics.

[Chris Bauer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A succinct biography of C. Vanderbilt. Very typical biography which details the life of one of America's first super wealthy individuals. The author has done a significant amount of research in creating this book. I was surprised how sedate it was, overall. Apparently Vanderbilt was an tyrannical, egotistical, uncouth rogue with hundreds of millions of US dollars at his disposal - this in the days when $30,000 could get you a mansion along the Hudson River. Interesting to read about his hard scrabble-life, incredible willpower and utter disregard for anything aside his personal bottom-line profits. My only negative comment is that, at times, I felt like I was reading an accounting ledger rather than a biography.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr. Renehan obviously has a personal bias against Vanderbilt in this book. He refers to amny instances when the Commodore was promiscuous or sneaky as a man and as a businessman with no proof to back it up. I knew nothing of the Vanderbilt clan when I began and not much more afterwards. I am now reading Stiles autobiography to see if I can get a more balanced view. A little too Ida Tarbell for me

[Geenyas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tightly focused on the financial side of the Commodore's life (what he bought, how he bought it, who who/how he had to finagle to buy it), the book takes into account his irascible personality and how that plays into building his empire, but doesn't give a good overview of his personal life.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listen to this on audio, and the narrator did a decent job. However, I didn’t find the story gripping. Cornelius, Vanderbilt certainly was a brilliant businessman. However, it doesn’t sound like he was a very good person.

[Lawrence Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great History Lesson

Just finished reading this book about the Vanderbilt Family. I learned so much about the evolution of the transportation industry. This book is a must read!!

[Jonathan Freed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

After a tour of the Biltmore Estate last Christmas, I was inspired to read (later to write) and to learn more about the dynasty behind the fantastic American castle in my home state of North Carolina. It turns out to be less a dynasty as the juggernaut drive of one man, Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Historical and biographical works are not my normal fare (at all). This one was gripping. Though there were some slow spots, as I would expect from either history or bio genres, the pace more than kept my attention. The things Vanderbilt accomplished, built, and his "man behind the curtain" on absolutely HUGE events in American history: free trade & state-to-state commerce, shipping & trans-Atlantic travel, steamship engineering & construction, railroads, government, Wall Street, Grand Central Station, the Civil War, the California Gold Rush) was a real eye-opener.

I left the tour of the Biltmore inspired to accomplish greater things professionally; already taking steps to do so. I closed the final pages of this book inspired to open my horizons to more biographical & historical works.

Fantastic man written about by an author well suited to bring his legend to life. The period photos, drawings, and images were a great addition too. I highly recommend this book.

[Chris Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time I’ve ever read a biography of a name so renowned worldwide where I actually walked away disappointed in learning more about his character.

Here’s what you learn about Cornelius Vanderbilt by reading this book..He was born the son of a Dutch farmer on Staten Island in the 1790s and ended up being an incredibly shrewd businessman who generated considerable wealth through hustling both freight and passengers in the NYC area on his various sailboats, steamboats, and (later in life) his railroad properties.

He was crass and uneducated, and was more or less shunned by “high society” of the time, (although the feeling was mutual.) He was a miserable father to all of his children but his youngest son, who was essentially the only one to receive his vast inheritance. (In fact, he was miserable to just about everyone in life.)

Despite his vast wealth he gave almost nothing to charities. He preferred the company of prostitutes rather than his wife, and, upon giving his wife syphilis, sent her to a madhouse when her psychological rage caused by her malady began to irritate him.

And then there is this little gem.....so miserly and notorious was this guy back in the day that a young popular writer at the time Charles Dickens created a character and a story specifically modeled after Cornelius Vanderbilt. The story ended up transcending the ages as a cultural icon. It was "A Christmas Carol" and the main character's name was none other than Ebenezer Scrooge.

Cornelius Vanderbilt - quite the legacy, for completely different reasons than I was expecting.

I suppose there’s always Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper to redeem the family name...

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

History, finance, transportation, and more history.

I really enjoyed this book. I've heard about Cornelius Vanderbilt for years, in connection with Grand Central Station, trains, Vanderbilt University, and some vaguely phrased legend about his starting out rowing people from Staten Island to Manhattan or something like that.

The details are more complex, and a lot more fun.

First of all, I'd always associated Vanderbilt with trains. It turns out that most of his career (and fortune) was in shipping. The fun part was watching the technology change (steam ships!) and the United States change with the advent of the Erie Canal, the California Gold Rush, and other major events. I feel like this book knit together a lot of history for me.

And the book doesn't avoid any of his blemishes. His passion for dockyard whores is discussed as plainly as his passion for racing horses. His poor treatment of his first and second wife and his alienating manner with his children are front-and-center.

Interestingly, I feel that the author neither demonizes nor adulates Vanderbilt. The good points and bad points are both laid out with humor and more than one wink-and-nudge. What emerges is a well-rounded portrait of a man who loved to make money, loved to be in control, and loved to do exactly what he felt like doing.

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using previously unreleased archives, Edward J. Renehan Jr. tells the compelling life of Cornelius Vanderbilt -the patriarch of the family. This man had very few redeeming qualities. Of all of the biographies that I have read, and there have been quite a few, this man easily comes out on top as the worst person. I give the author credit though for his research. Renehan evidently only includes what can be verified through documentation on Vanderbilt, and leaves out some of those fanciful "word of mouth" accounts of the man. The book is filled with details of schedules, rates, and routes of the scion's ships and trains. I feel the author did a reliable job in telling the man's history, but to be quite honest, you may wish to pick another biography of a better person that you have been waiting to read about.
At his death, Cornelius Vanderbilt was worth(adjusted for inflation), more than three times what Bill Gates was worth back in 2006.

[Lauretta · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book seriously needs a map as the author discusses in detail the water and rail routes commanded by Vanderbilt. Initially, after reading the book, I was surprised by the lack of detail concerning Vanderbilt's family affairs, and thought perhaps that goes toward the fact he was not involved with his family. Since having finished the book, however, I've looked at other biographies and have found them to have maps and family stories. Consequently, I'm disappointed I put the time into this book when there appear to be better ones out there on the topic.
Update: I just finished Fortune's Children by Arthur T. Vanderbilt II, and found it so much more enjoyable. Having had the prior background for the Commodore helped, painful as it was.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy these kinds of books for the wish-fulfillment aspect - watching a guy go from poverty to king-of-the-world wealth. And this one started off interestingly - you learn that "the Commodore" was a tough, scrappy Staten Island boy and that he grew up to be a heartless bastard who abused and disinherited nearly everyone in his family. So far so good. But when the book started to get bogged down in the minutiae of his early business ventures (e.g., long passages about shipping routes and schedules), I had to give up.

[Johnsergeant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrated By: John McDonough
Published By: Recorded Books, LLC

Acclaimed historian Edward J. Renehan, Jr.—author of Dark Genius of Wall Street —draws upon previously unreleased documents to deliver the definitive biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the 19th-century transportation tycoon who accumulated the largest private fortune in U.S. history.

I listened to this book after visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC which triggered my interest in finding out more about the Vanderbilts.

[Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ruthless competitor with a disgusting personal life style but he accurately can be described as NOT being slow to seize the opportunity when he started the first commercial ferry service for New York city. As usual, the fortune ol' Cornelius built was systematically wasted by his offspring. Trivia: the Vanderbilt family mausoleum on Staten Island, NY is the largest private structure of its kind in the USA. An interesting biography.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and a well done researched book. I found the book very enjoyable and quiet easy to read. The details of the Commodore’s life are very fascinating especially growing up on Staten Island and how he develops his shipping business. We can use his tenacious ability as well as his cunning business antics right about now. Well done!!!

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out well. It was so interesting to learn about the man who founded the Vanderbilt dynasty. However, as the book progressed it got pretty tiresome in the descriptions of his day to day business transactions. I also found I did not like Mr. Vanderbilt at all. he was a brutilizing, womanizing, arrogant person, with almost no redeeming personal attributes.

[Mark Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Went through a phase where I read everything I could on 19th century businessmen that fit the category of monopolist with a bent for success at all costs. This book gives you an excellent understanding of the man and his decisions. His amoral worldview pokes through the covers. The consequences of his decisions are spelled out in detail.

Mark M

[marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

proof positive that Vanderbilt's mascot might as well be the Assholes.

[Stableboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great biography by Renehan.

[Justin Bacon]

Book on tape

[Jun Peralta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book.

[Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed this more if I wasn't constantly reminded of 45. They are two peas in a pod. There is a fair amount of NYC history, which I found enjoyable.