120 Heirs, Not One Millionaire

In 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt died as the richest man in America. According to the family's own historian, when about 120 of his descendants gathered for a reunion in 1973, not one of them was a millionaire. This is the story of the Vanderbilts: the will, the Fifth Avenue mansions, Biltmore, the railroad, and the arithmetic that unwound the greatest fortune of the Gilded Age. Note: the 1973 reunion detail comes from a single source (Arthur T. Vanderbilt II, Fortune's Children) and has not been independently verified. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: The 1973 reunion 00:56 Chapter 1: The Commodore 03:16 Chapter 2: One Fortune, Many Heirs 04:10 Chapter 3: Vanderbilt Row 07:22 Chapter 4: The First Cracks 08:26 Chapter 5: The House That Survived 09:31 Chapter 6: The Poor Little Rich Girl 11:23 Chapter 7: The Railroad Runs Out 12:54 Chapter 8: What Was Left 15:23 The lesson Sources: American Heritage; Wikipedia (Vanderbilt family, Biltmore, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, Gloria Vanderbilt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, The Breakers); Financial Advisor Magazine; History.com; Museum of the City of New York; Britannica; Al Jazeera; 6sqft. Music: 'There Was A Time' and 'Aphelion' by Scott Buckley, released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au This video uses AI-assisted visuals and narration. For education and entertainment only. This channel uses AI-assisted visuals and narration. Content is for entertainment and education only, not financial advice. #Vanderbilt #CorneliusVanderbilt #GildedAge #AmericanHistory #FamilyDynasty #Biltmore #NewYorkCentral #RichestFamily #WealthHistory