Vanderbilt is seen as one of the most successful men in American history, in reality he was an evil and heartless businessman. This is evidenced by the closure of the largest railway port. He should not be seen as a good person because he closed down one of the largest railways, causing a lot of confusion. Vanderbilt was known to be the most successful man, but what people don't know is that he started by taking 100 dollars from his mother and piloting a passenger ship to an island. He started with steamboats and then built the railroad, but he wasn't a good man to work with. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayVanderbilt was known to be a very successful man, but he was also an impostor, he started his business by taking 100 dollars from his mother. He invested and saved his money and inherited this trait from his mother. In every dollar he spent he invested it and spent it wisely. Debt-free he grew his empire and never borrowed money. Vanderbilt was never accepted into the upper class because he never flaunted his money or wealth. Vanderbilt invested his money in steamboats and lent his money to several businesses. He bought and purchased shares of private companies and real estate. He invested millions of money in a building called Grand Central Station, which is one of the largest train depots in the world. Vanderbilt did not come for money, but was self-made. He has practiced habits his entire life, such as living below his means. When Vanderbilt died in 1877, there was an estate called the Vanderbilt estate and it was valued at $100,000,000. Today, with a sum that would amount to $2.3 billion, making him the richest man in the United States, Vanderbilt was seen as a man of few words, rarely speaking. He let others speak and preferred to listen to what others had to say, and never allowed criticism to get in the way of him or others. He was an excellent judge of character. He went to war against dishonest and/or trustworthy people and embraced individuals of high character. The world of Vandetbilt was supposed to be considered as valuable as gold. He never wanted to think back on his words. Everyone who dealt with Vanderbilt found him to be a man of integrity. Vanderbilt spent his life building relationships with other successful people who would be able to open doors for him. Vanderbilt spent the first year of his life with Thomas Gibbons as an employee. Thomas Gibbons was a very successful man in the steamboat business. Everything Vanderbilt learned he learned from Gibbons, who mentored him. Vanderbilt was the only employee Gibbons ever had. Vanderbilt understood that to be successful he had to build a team of disciplines that believed in his decisions. Vanderbilt embraced new technologies, such as the steamboat, and new forms of business, such as the corporation. He had invested all his profits in the steamboat and lent his money to other businessmen. He wasn't afraid to take calculated risks. Towards the end of his life, he even put his entire fortune at risk in an attempt to save one of his many investments: the Union Trust. Vanderbilt also loved to compete. He fought his rivals as if he were at war, cutting tariffs and doing what he could to bankrupt them. Vanderbilt never gave up on his dreams. Many times, this would bring him to the brink of personal bankruptcy. But he was persistent and relentless. In the late 1820s, he first started his own business, building steamships and operating ferry lines in the.