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Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt was born on May 27, 1794, in the Port Richmond area of Staten Island, New York. He began a passenger ferry business in New York harbor with one boat, then started his own steamship company, eventually controlling Hudson River traffic he died in January 4, 1877 -
Gilded age Captains of Industry
Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was one of the most successful businessmen and most recognized philanthropists in history. His entrepreneurial ventures in America's steel industry earned him millions and he, in turn, made great contributions to social causes such as public libraries, education and international peace -
John D. Rockefeller
American industrialist John D. Rockefeller was born July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York. He built his first oil refinery near Cleveland and in 1870 incorporated the Standard Oil Company. By 1882 he had a near-monopoly of the oil business in the U.S., but his business practices led to the passing of antitrust laws -
Politics in the gilded age
The dominant issues were cultural especially regarding prohibition, education, and ethnic or racial groups and economic tariffs and money supply. With the rapid growth of cities, political machines increasingly took control of urban politics. In business, powerful nationwide trusts formed in some industries. It is easy to caricature the Gilded Age as an era of corruption, conspicuous consumption, and unfettered capitalism. -
J.P Morgan
Born into a prominent New England family in 1837, J.P. Morgan began his career in the New York financial industry in the late 1850s. He co-founded the banking firm that became J.P. Morgan & Co. in 1871, and in the 1880s he established himself as a power player in the country's railroad industry he died in March 31st 1913 -
political machine
A corrupt political organization that preyed on immigrants.
