The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-12-18
WILLIAM H. VANDERBILT.


The sudden death of William II
Hndcrhili which took place on De
c,mbcr =. AT his house on Fitth ave
uuc, New \ DIRK. WAS not All uucN-
pcCtcd event Ills medical attendant
had torc~ccu il. aud MIR. \ andcrbilt
sometimes referred TO it, when in
conversation VITA intimate friends
rs II probability A. u prudent man
torcSccing the evil, lac had put his
vast affair, in order. and the death of
the richest man in the world involves
no great shock TO business Interests
home or foreign. There will be no
change IN the ownership or manage
ucnt Ol the andcrhilt system OF
railroads, which have been under con-
troll of dccea,ed', SONS for the past
three years The owner of probably
two hundred million dollars, MIR
anderbilt, had 81 large accumulation
awaiting Investment, which was kept
on temporary loans.
Mr. \ audcrhilt wa, the eldest son
OF the late Commodore Cornelius
audcrhilt. He wa, horu at the sum
mcr residence of his Gather, New
HrunsWick. \. j.. in the year lS2l.
After receiving his education mt Co
Iumbia college grammar school. New
York. ho entered. ju his eighteenth
year. the financial house of brew.
Robinson ~ Co., of that city, where
he exhibited great industry and eN-
ecutive ability. and on the expiration
of two years, was offered partner
nip in the business. The close con
tncment, however. having begun to
/ prey on his health. he determined to
/ take up farming a. a means of recu-
/ peratiOu; And. the commodore having
/ bought him ,cNcuty-livc acres of Au-
| improved land on Staten Island, hr
/ at once took his Young wife there.
/ and set TO work with such skill and
( energy that he not only cleared the
| Sevcnty-iive acres, but soon had a
/ larger tract purchased. and 80 acres
/ under crop.
shortly after this period. the staten
| Island railroad company became EN-
barrasocd, when Mr.. Vanderbilt wa,
appointed receiver for it. While act
/ ing in this capacity he relieved the
! road of its difficulties and improved
/ its prospects in marked degree.
The experience required here gave
! him au Insight into the railroad al
fairs, and advanced him in the opim-
I ion of leading capitalists aud stock
| holders. In 1864, he was elected vice
| president of the New ork and llar-
| lem railroad, and in 1863, of the llud.
| son River liuC. which under his mau-
| agcment became SO prosperous that
/ he was unhcsitatingly recognized a-
/ not only n railroad manager of pro
found knowledge and experience,
hut worthy of the confidence of the
/ commodore to the fullest extent. ii
was now plain sailing until the death
OF his father. This event took place
on January (, 1870 II left Mr. Van
dcrhilt in the possession OF the nine
ty-tiye OF the hundred million dollars
made by the doughty old commodore,
How that vast sum ha, been more
than doubled is long aud interest
ing chapter in the story of American
progress, too long even To outline in
detail In 1851. Mr.. Vanderbilt sold
u quarter million shares of New urk
Central stock To syndicate. and
early III 1883, began to intimate To-
his friends that railroad management
had no longer ANY charms tor him
ON MAY (. of that year. he resigned
the presidency of the Central. the
Lake shore and the Michigan Cen
. iral. His eldest son, Cornelius. wa,
made chairman in the Central board
of directors, and " lillian IA. another
son, filled similar position in the
Lake SCORE board. MIR auderhilt
however. remained member of tn,
board of directors IN each company
During the last months of his life
from June last. MIR. Nandcrhilt wa
busy with arrangement, which wer,
terminated 10y the lease of the Yves
shore railroad bN the Central, a.
lately rs December ., only three day
before his death.
The deceased financial magnat,
married in ISL. Miss Nissan, th,
daughter of Brooklyn clcrgyma
lie had nine children, eight of whom
and their mother survive him. Their
are nineteen grandchildren.
MIR. Vanderbilt WAS plain man
simple in his tastes, genial, approach
able and ailAhlc. lie WAS y fsmil
man in the fullest sense of the wore
, From the time when he remove
from Staten Island TO New York, h
was member of the Protestant Epi,
ropal church. and gave Literally to il
, interests. The number of his gin
and the extent of his bounty are n,
q, known, but some of his pubic ben,
factions are rccOrdable. In 1850 h
gaye hundred Thousand dollars I
- build Theological hall. for Wander
bit university, 10 which the old con