The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (85 page)

Augustus Schell was Horace Clark's close friend and political ally, and served as grand sachem of Tammany Hall after Boss Tweed's downfall. He also sat on the boards of Vanderbilt's railroads.
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The railroad bridge across the Hudson River at Albany was seen as a major feat of engineering when it was opened in 1866. It allowed a direct connection between Vanderbilt's lines and the New York Central Railroad.
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Henry Keep became a major figure on Wall Street in partnership with financier LeGrand Lockwood. In December 1866, Keep led a takeover of the New York Central, then provoked Vanderbilt by revoking a hard-won agreement with the Hudson River Railroad. Vanderbilt closed the Albany bridge to train traffic in retaliation, cutting the Central's link to New York. Keep capitulated.
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Erastus Corning was one of New York State's leading businessmen and politicians. A resident of Albany, he rose to wealth as owner of an iron mill and president of the New York Central. Though Vanderbilt sometimes clashed with Corning, he liked and respected him.
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Jay Gould shared a birthday with Vanderbilt, making Gould exactly forty-two years younger. He proved to be Vanderbilt's most determined enemy. In 1867, Gould asked Vanderbilt for his help in throwing Daniel Drew off the board of the Erie Railway; in the end, Gould sided with Drew to defeat Vanderbilt's attempt to corner Erie stock.
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James Fisk Jr. emerged as Jay Gould's closest ally on the Erie board. Often understimated because of his outrageous behavior, he proved to be Gould's capable partner after the latter took the Erie presidency in 1868. A rival for the affections of a mistress shot Fisk dead in a hotel lobby in 1871.
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As vice president and later president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Thomas A. Scott made a striking contrast with Vanderbilt. Scott was a professional executive who rose through the ranks of management. He pioneered the use of shell corporations and holding companies, and was Andrew Carnegie's mentor.
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Vanderbilt negotiated the purchase by the Hudson River Railroad of St. John's Park, the model for Gramercy Park, located where the exit of the Holland Tunnel is now. The railroad built the St. John's Park Freight Depot, pictured here, on that site. This image depicts the unveiling on November 10, 1869, of a statue of Vanderbilt centered in a bronze relief that depicted his career.
New York Central System Historical Society

The St. John's Park Freight Depot statue was designed by Ernst Plassman and paid for by a fund organized by Albert De Groot, a former employee who had grown rich with Vanderbilt's assistance. Twelve feet tall, it (and the reliefs on either side) cost a reputed $500,000. In the early twentieth century it was moved to the front of Grand Central Terminal, where it remains today.
New York Central System Historical Society

As the richest man in America, Vanderbilt was often caricatured by the press, which cast a cynical eye on the wealthy. This cartoon mocks Vanderbilt by making an unflattering comparison between him and James Fisk, in their “watering” the stock of their railroads—increasing the number of shares, considered a grave misdeed in 1869.
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Vanderbilt's consolidation of the New York Central and the Hudson River railroads pioneered the giant corporation in American history. This 1870 cartoon shows Vanderbilt racing his newly merged company against Fisk of the Erie.
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