Vanderbilt University was founded by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1873.
In fact, Vanderbilt was born in New York City, but he grew up in Staten Island, New York. As a young man, he made a fortune in steamships and railroads. In 1873, at age 52, he decided to give back to society by establishing a university in Nashville, Tennessee. He donated
1 million to the school and it opened its doors two years later as the South’s first research university.
University is named after its founder Cornelius Vanderbilt (1810-1877). Vanderbilt was born in New York City on May 27, 1810 and died on January 4, 1877 at his home on Washington Square in Manhattan where he had lived since 1853. He began working at age 12 as a messenger boy for a shipping firm on Wall Street in New York City. By age 20 he had saved enough money to buy his own ship but soon lost it in an accident at sea; however during this time he became interested in the business of shipping goods across America by railroad and steamboat which would eventually lead him into becoming one of the richest men in America during his lifetime.
Moreover, the campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux of New York City; they provide a classic example of the architecture of their time. The campus included many buildings that were built in an architectural style known as “beaux-arts”, which featured a variety of elements including arches, domes, columns, pavilions and sculptures. The school also established a military program that allowed students to gain experience with weaponry such as swords and rifles.
