Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-26
Famous MEMS Sons Who Have Made Good

second half of the nineteenth century, Jay
Gould and Commodore Vanderbilt only left
sons who have been able to hold up their
end. Whether William H. Vanderbilt, son
Of Commodore Cornelius, the founder OF
the family, would have shown force enough
to make his way unaided by his father 8
money Is a moot question. His father APP
peared to have little faith in him, and for
years after William H. was a full-grown
man, kept him the now famous Staten
Island farm. Yet when the commodore
died, and William H.. then ffty-five years
old. was left in charge of the property. he
speedily made good. he had only nine
years in control for he died at sixty-four
in 1885, but in the nine years he increased
the Vanderbilt fortunes from $1O000O.O0O to
at least double that vast sum.
Vanderbilt Sons.
It was while William H. and his family
were living on the Staten Island farm that
Cornelius the second showed what stuff he
was made of. Though his grandfather was
one of the very richest men in the country,
young Cornelius, still in his teens. knew
that his father was short of funds. So
one day he crossed the ferry from Staten
Island to Manhattan Island and applied for
job as clerk in one of the banks He
had some difficulty in reaching the preSi-
dent of the Institution. but persisted, and
was finally led into his presence. After
listening to the application the banker ask
ed the lads name.
Cornelius Vanderbilt" was the reply.
. Possibly related to Commodore Wander
bilt? questioned the banker somewhat
quizzically whereupon the boy said he was
a grandson of the famous railroad king
but explained that he wanted to be en-
ployed, If at ALL on his own merits, and not
because he had a grandfather He was
taken on and made good as bank clerk:
Later when his grandfather heard about
1t and asked the young man to accept
minor place in the offices of the New York
and Harlem railroad at $500 year, he
made good there, too.
William K. Vanderbilt and his son,
willie X" also the sons of Cornelius the
second are all prominently before the
world, but only Cornelius the second made
good on his own initiative, though the abil-
tiles Of William K.-both initiative and ex-
ecutive-are Of very high order.
Cornelius the third whose invention of
an improved locomotive fireboX made some
stir in the railroad world few years ago,
Is the only member of the fourth genera
ton of Vanderbilts who has ever seemed
to take life seriously, and even he appears
to have dropped out of the running, being
now inclined to live chiefly for social sue
cess and amusement. 1t is likely, though
that he is one of those who would have
made good with the "half a chance" that
is supposed to be the portion of the young
ster born with plenty of ambition but no
money. When he was planning his nreooX
he showed energy and pluck enough to take
a personal course at stocking a locomotive.
Just to see how steam was kept up, and TO
find out how improvements might De mace
Goulds, Belmonts, "Jack" Morgan"
None of Jay Goulds four sons-George,
Fdwin, Howard or Frank-has made fall
ure, but only one, George, has attained TO
anything that might not be reached by
any rich mans son. When Jay Gould died
1t was the genei al opinion that George
would be able to conserve the family for
tur es, but no one expected he would be
able to do more. In fact 1t has often been
said that Jay Gould himself expected no
more. Yet George Gould is one Of the
great, strong forces in the railway world
today, and his dominance in the field he
has chosen for his own is admired by the
strongest of hts fellow-railway rulers,
grudgingly, perhaps. but none the less SIN
cerely.
j. P Morgan, jr.-"Jack to be-
come fine example of the successful son
of a great financial magnate, but 1t Is yet
too early to set him down as an unquaH-
fed success John D. Rockefeller, jr., and
Harry Payne Whitney, son of William e.
Whitney, are practically in the same
class. AS all three Of these young men
have the advantage of vast wealth and
almost boundless prestige behind them,
however, enough success to keep them per-
maEently in the public eye is virtually as
sured to them.
The Belmonts are very generally familiar
as the prominent sons of prominent man,
but only one of them, August, has shown
great initiative and force. James Gordon
Bennett of the New York Herald is one OF
the great newspaper mems sons who nave
carried along their fathers life work with
credit. This he has done certainly. His
raper was great in the elder Benefits
time, and 1t still holds its place.
Other Famous Sons.
Many governors of states have left be-
hind them sons who are as great as their
sires, though not many of them have
chosen politics for their field. Richard
Yates, son of the great war governor of
Illinois, is an exception He also served
Illinois as governor, his Inauguration COM
ing some thirty years later than his
fathers. The Rev. DR.. Morgan Dix, rector
of Trinity Church in New York, who might
have been a bishop over and over, Is the
son of that New York governor, John A.
Dix. who said: IF any man attempts to