Biographer Discusses Vanderbilt

Author T.J. Stiles spoke about his new book, “The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt,” yesterday evening at the First Parish in Cambridge.

Along with co-sponsors like the Harvard Book Store, the Lowell Institute, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Cambridge Forum hosted Stiles as part of their weekly forums on “cost.”

“We are looking at the idea of cost, and obviously the financial world is important in cost. Vanderbilt is one of the architects of the American economy today,” said Patricia Suhrcke, the director of the Cambridge Forum.

The Cambridge Forum—which has been operating for 42 years—reaches listeners nationwide each week through radio broadcasts on NPR stations.

Stiles, the author of Vanderbilt’s biography, is a teacher of nonfiction creative writing at Columbia University and the author of “Jesse James: The Last Rebel of the Civil War,” a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

Stiles said he chose Vanderbilt as the subject of his book because Vanderbilt’s “is an important life but it is important because it is woven into so many other things than just business.”

“It was woven into the course of American events,” he said. Cornelius Vanderbilt was a prominent American businessman and the original “robber baron.” He dominated the U.S. economy in the 19th century with his shipping and railway companies, and according to Stiles, was one of the wealthiest men in American history with an estimated net worth in 1877 of $100 million, representing 1 out of every 20 dollars that was in circulation.

Stiles said that though many recognize Vanderbilt for his business endeavors, the businessman’s personal life and ego are the focal point of the story.

“For a man who was overly ruthless and willing to gamble the stability of the economy, he had a strict code of ethics and he lived by it,” Stiles said. “That personal pride drove him all the way through and made him such a ferocious competitor.”

From his saving of the economy during the panic of 1869 to his aiding of the Union Navy at President Lincoln’s request, Stiles explained that Vanderbilt led an exciting life but one for his personal benefit. According to the author, “his life played out in an ever going stage against suppressive opponents.”

Stiles said he believes that Vanderbilt is an ideal entrepreneur and that an intense research of his personal life reveals a fulfillment of the American dream, a real rags to riches story.

“That personal side is something I really tried to intertwine into the story so we could try to build a portrait of this individual filling out the American landscape,” he said.