Nicknamed 'the Commodore'; worked up from his father's business to lead inland and coastal shipping lines, then built his fortune in railroads. Died in 1877.
6 biographies about them
One outstanding modern biography, a contested rival to it, and a durable 1942 life; the rest of the shelf is family history.
Vanderbilt's rise through ferries, steamships and railroads.
Recommended by: Mohnish Pabrai
How Vanderbilt, Gould, Rockefeller, Morgan and others built 19th-century fortunes.
Recommended by: Larry Ellison
The life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, strongest on his steamboat years.
How the Vanderbilt heirs spent and scattered the family fortune.
Modern rival to Stiles, two years earlier
| CORNELIUS VANDERBILT.; A LONG AND USEFUL LIFE ENDED. Paywall | The New York Times | 1877 |