And we continue with our American stories.

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, The First Tycoon,

T.J. Stiles tells the story of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the man through whose genius

and force of will did more than perhaps any other individual in this country to create the

modern American economy. Our next story is one that portrays Vanderbilt at his most skillful,

and yet his most chilling. The Commodore's personal wealth had grown so much by 1869 that his private interests had intersected with the public interest.

Let's take a listen to T.J. Style.

There's no way I could really cover Vanderbilt's life.

This is someone who was born during George Washington's presidency, who went to work before the

War of 1812 and lived long enough to make deals personally with John D. Rockefeller.

I just want to speak briefly, though, about one incident in his life that suggests how important he was and why in many ways his life is relevant today.

Historians hate to draw lessons from the past, but certainly his life and his career is very resonant with what's happening right now.

Now, the incident that I'll just take a couple of minutes to describe

took place in September 1869.

In 1863 is a little background to this.

Vanderbilt turned from steamships.

He spent his long career in steamboats and steamships,

becoming the foremost maritime entrepreneur in American

history to that date, sold off all his ships at the age of 70 and turned to railroads.

And during the 1860s, he progressively took over the railroads that connected New York City

with the West. And by 1869, he controlled the railroads that he at that

moment was in the process of consolidating into the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad.

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