Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/315

Rh '''VAN BUREN. Daniel Tompkins''', soldier, b. in Kingston, N. Y., 8 May, 1824; d. in Plainfield, N. J.,17 July. 18«0. He was graduated at the U. S. military academy in 1847. entered tlie army as 2d lieutenant in the 2d artillery, served through the Mexican war. was promoted 1st lieutenant. 14 Feb., 1849. was assistant professor of natural and experi- mental philosophy at West Point in 1849-'50, and was on coast survey from 2 Dec., 1852, till 1855, when he resigned. He then studied law. and prac- tised in his native place. At the beginning of the civil war he re-entered the army as chief of staff to Gen. John A. Dix. He was brevetted brigadier- general of volunteers, and was mustered out of service, 20 March, 1866. After the war he was en- gaged in surveying and civil engineering.

VANDERBILT, Cornelias, capitalist, b. on St.aten Island, N. Y., 27 Nov., 1843; d. in New York city, 12 Sept., 1899. He was the eldest son of William H. Vanderbilt {q. v.), and was educated at pri vat e schools. At the age of sixteen he commenced business life in the office of the Shoe and Leather bank of New York city. Here he remained three years, perform- ing the simple duties of a clerk, but show- ing aptitude for the studies of accounts and afTairs of finance. After two years spent in the private bank- ing-house of Kissain Brothers he was »[>- pointed to a position in the treasurer's office of the New York and Harlem railroad com- pany. From 1867 to 1877 he was treasurer, and from 1877 to 1886 vice- president of the New York and Harlem railroad. lie then became president of the roml, and on the death of Commodore Vanderbilt was chosen vice- president of the New York Central and Hudson river railroad, and took control of the finances of the road — a department for which his natural abilities and his ten years' experience as treasurer of the Harlem cminentlv fitted him. In 1878 he became treasurer of the Michigan Central railroad company and of the Canafla Southern railway company; in 1879 vice-president and treasurer of the latter; in 1880 vice-president and treiusurcr of the Michigan Central. His father retired in May, 18X3. from the firesidency of the New York Central and Hudson river milroail company, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern railway com- pany, an<l the Michigan Central railroad com- pany, and Cornelius and his brother William K. resigncil their vice-presidencies. A new system of management was then inaugurated, under which the president was still the chief of the executive, but the supreme authority became vested in the chairman of the board of directors. I'nder the new arrangement Cornelius became chairman of the board of the New York Central and Hudson river railroad company and of the board of the Michigan Central railroad company, and his broth- er assumed the same position in the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern railway company. Dur- ing Mr. Vanderbilt's incumbency of these various offices negotiations of magnitude and importance in the railroad world were consummated, notably the acquisition by the New York Central, under lease, of the West Shore railroad, the Itome, Water- town and Ogdensburg railroad, the Mohawk and Malone railroad, and the New York and Putnam railroad. The Vanderbilt system comprises the following roads: New York Central and Hudson river railroad and its leased lines, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, the Michigan Central and its auxiliary line, the Canada Southern, the Chi- cago and Northwestern, the Chicago, St. I'aul, Minneapolis and Omaha, and the Cleveland. Co- lumbus, Cincinnati and .St. Louis. Over all of these roads the Vanderbilts exercise a strict super- vision, and their name stands as a guarantee of careful, conservative, yet energetic management. Numerous and exacting as were his railroad inter- ests, he nevertheless gave much time to religious and charitable work, and was associated as a di- rector or trustee with many public organizations, societies, and institutions, among them being : Young men's Christian association, St. Luke's hos- pital, American museum of natural history. New York botanical garden, Columbia university. Do- mestic anrl foreign missionary society of the I'rot- estant Episcopal church. General theological semi- nary, and the Metropolitan museum of art. Mr. Vanderbilt was for many years a member of the vestry of St. Bartholomew's church. New York, and was a vice-president of the New York genealogical and biographical society. Of a deeply religious and conscientious nature, he was always ready to fulfil everv duty he assumed, and his attendance at a meeting of trustees of any of the above or other institutions was as faithful as his examina- tion of an abstruse railroad statement of finance. Although warned by his physicians that his con- stant and unremitting attention to business was overtaxing his nervous system he refused to fol- low their lulvice to give up some of his cares.

An additional burden came to him in the summer of 1896 by reason of the fruitlessness of his disap- proval of the marriage of his eldest son. The re- lations between father and son became strained, and early in July the son left the father's house and made his home elsewhere. On the 14th of that month the father was stricken by cerebral h.Tmor- rhage and lay for several days at the point of death. Careful medical attendance saved his life then, but when he had recovered he was partially paralyzed, and took no active interest in business thereafter. When he was well enough to travel he went to Swit-