Vanderbilt

American transportation promoter and financier who amassed a great fortune through railroad and shipping interests. His heirs included his son William Henry (1821-1885), a financier and philanthropist, and William Henry's sons Cornelius (1843-1899), a railroad director; William Kissam (1849-1920), a railroad executive and philanthropist; Frederick William (1856-1938), a railroad manager; and George Washington (1862-1914), who commissioned Biltmore, the largest private home in America, located in Asheville, North Carolina.