On this episode of Our American Stories, in his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, T.J. Stiles tells the dramatic story of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt’s humble birth during the presidency of George Washington to his death as one of the richest men in American history. The Commodore helped to launch the transportation revolution, propel the Gold Rush, reshape Manhattan, invent the modern corporation, and create the modern American economy. 

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