Story Highlights
- Historical event
- 4 January 1877
- Vanderbilt is a surname of a Dutch origin and it was formerly written “van der Bilt”, which means “from De Bilt”, which is a village near the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
The richest man in the United States – Cornelius Vanderbilt – died on this day. If his wealth is converted with respect to the change of U.S. GDP, it would today be worth about 143 billion U.S. dollars, which would make him the second-wealthiest American throughout history (after John Davison Rockefeller). Vanderbilt gained this fortune in the transport sector – shipping and railroads, which experienced a huge growth at that time.
Otherwise, Vanderbilt is a surname of a Dutch origin and it was formerly written “van der Bilt”, which means “from De Bilt”, which is a village near the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Cornelius donated money for the founding of the university which was named after him – Vanderbilt University. Descendants of Cornelius Vanderbilt were famous for their wealth, allowing them to make marital connections with aristocratic families (for example, Consuelo Vanderbilt married the English Duke of Marlborough). Even today, more than a hundred and thirty years after Cornelius’s death, the Vanderbilt family still belongs among the wealthiest American families.
