Biographical profile of Cornelius Vanderbilt, entrepreneur, shipping and railroad magnate and one of the wealthiest and best known tycoons in American history. Uneducated and coming from a poor background, Vanderbilt built an empire, beginning with sailboats before graduating to steamships. His shipping interests extended from California to Europe, generating substantial income for the gruff, tall, and unbending titan. When American railroads began their spread westward, Vanderbilt decided to control all the rail traffic from New York to Chicago, despite the opposition of other powerful tycoons including Daniel Drew, Jim Fisk and Jay Gould. Their battles were monumental as they were legendary. At his death Vanderbilt was the richest man in America. Award-winning author and syndicated columnist Daniel Alef, who has written more than 300 biographical profiles of America's greatest tycoons, brings out the story of Vanderbilt and his remarkable life of ups, downs and achievements. [4,322-word Titans of Fortune article with timeline, bibliography and links to videos]