as t.j. stilesw 19th century businessmen equal vanderbilt and its impact on american history and of those who did, arguably none proved to be so influential in so fundamentally level of rate maxville formatives or so long. born in 1794 the commodore live to be 82 and played a significant role in so many of the events of this tumultuous life. from the beginnings of steamboat travel to the seminal supreme court case given establishing the federal government's right to regulate interstate commerce and destroying the remnants of futile culture in america to transatlantic travel the california gold rush in the growth of the united states into a continental nation, the start of travel across central america and the planting of the seat that was to become the panama canal, the crushing of the notorious american filibuster of william walker and his attempt to abscond with the country of nicaragua, the destruction of the confederate ironclad merrimack and the safeguarding of the union's shipments both of whi

[laughter] author t.j. stiles recounts the life of transportation magnet cornelia after words in his book, t.j.. >> discussed the book at an event hosted by the new york public library. this is an hour and 15 minutes. >> thanks for coming everyone to this evening. it is a pleasure to be here at the library and the coleman center which has once again succeeded in green the publication and the outstanding work of literature. the first tycoon takes his place this year as the biography of record of one of the greatest and most selective figures in american business history. cornelius vanderbilt's career and shipping route routes and finance span incredible epic in the industrial development of this nation from the very beginnings of steam powered transportation to the tying together of the entire north american continent in a steel web of real. as t.j. stiles writes, view 19th century businessmen equals after words in his impact on american history and of those who did arguably none proved to be so influential and so