The son of a poor farmer and boatman, he left school at 11 to work on the water. By 16, he borrowed $100 from his mother to buy a small sailing vessel, ferrying goods and passengers around New York.
Cornelius Vanderbilt: The Commodore of…
The son of a poor farmer and boatman, he left school at 11 to work on the water. By 16, he borrowed $100 from his mother to buy a small sailing vessel, ferrying goods and passengers around New York.