noun
United States financier who accumulated great wealth from railroad and shipping businesses (1794-1877)
• Syn: ↑Vanderbilt, ↑Commodore Vanderbilt
• Instance Hypernyms: ↑financier, ↑moneyman, ↑philanthropist, ↑altruist
* * *
(1794–1877) a US ↑businessman who became very rich from his shipping and railway companies, and gave a lot of his money to support good causes. He established Vanderbilt University in ↑Nashville, ↑Tennessee, in 1873. His sons, especially the oldest, William Henry Vanderbilt (1821–85), increased the family’s wealth and continued its financial gifts.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.