Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt

Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt (December 29, 1830 – April 2, 1882) was an American member of the Vanderbilt family who, after having a troubled relationship with his father, Cornelius Vanderbilt, eventually committed suicide at the age of 51.[1]

Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt
Born(1830-12-29)December 29, 1830
Staten Island, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 2, 1882(1882-04-02) (aged 51)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Other namesCorneel
EducationColumbia College (1850)
Spouse(s)
Ellen Williams
​
​
(m. 1856; died 1872)​
Parent(s)Cornelius Vanderbilt
Sophia Johnson
RelativesSee Vanderbilt family

Early life

Cornelius "Corneel" Jeremiah Vanderbilt was born on Staten Island on December 29, 1830. He was the second son of thirteen children born to Cornelius Vanderbilt and Sophia Johnson Vanderbilt, who were first cousins.[2][3] He had 11 surviving siblings; Phebe, Ethelinda, Eliza, William ("Billy"), Emily, Sophia, Maria, Frances, Mary, Catherine, and George. He had another brother named George, born in 1832, who died as a toddler.[4]

According to official records, Corneel was matriculated at Columbia College with the class of 1850, but did not graduate with the class.[5]

When he was 18 years old, Corneel began suffering from epilepsy, which his father saw as weakness and even mental derangement, believing his son needed to be in a mental asylum. His father thought the epileptic fits were a punishment on himself for his having married his own cousin.[6]

In 1849, in order to ‘toughen him up,’ his father sent the then 19 year old Corneel off to be a sailor aboard a three-masted schooner which was making its way to California and its gold fields. However, Corneel was stricken ill when he arrived in San Francisco and drew a draft on his father in order to pay for his return to New York. Upon his return, his father had him arrested for drawing the draft and committed him to the Bloomingdale Insane Asylum. Corneel's records from the asylum state: "Form of mental disorder: dementia (supported by father)"[7]

He was finally discharged from the asylum on February 20, 1850.[8]

Corneel being committed to Bloomingdale Insane Asylum by his father happened just five years after his mother, Sophia, had also briefly been committed by his father to the same asylum. In 1844, his father sent Sophia on a trip to Canada with one of their daughters, in order to have more private time with their governess (who promptly quit). When Sophia returned, she found that her husband had purchased a large townhouse at 10 Washington Place in New York City and intended it to be their new residence. She was so upset that she stood up to the domineering Cornelius and steadfastly refused to leave their Staten Island home and friends. His father decided that she was mentally unstable due to this behavior. He told their children that their mother was "in poor health" and that she "was at the change of life." Against protests from all of their children (except William), their father had their mother committed to Bloomingdale Insane Asylum. However, the physicians there insisted she return home. When she did, she reluctantly acquiesced to her husband's demands and moved to New York City.[9]

Career
In personal appearance Cornelius J. Vanderbilt did not exhibit any of the sturdy, rugged physical qualities which so greatly distinguished his father, the old Commodore. He had his stature alone, being over 6 feet in height but, in the middle of his life even, he was slender, poorly developed, and without physical energy, and as he grew older he began to stoop at the shoulders and to display the wanness and attenuation of features that usually betray the consumptive tendency. His features, unlike the Commodores, were delicate, and by no means strongly marked.[1]

C. J. Vanderbilt Obituary, April 3, 1882, The New York Times

On March 4, 1849, young Vanderbilt departed on a ship headed for San Francisco around Cape Horn to work as a crewman. Upon arrival in San Francisco, he abandoned the ship and spent all his money. When he ran out, he tried to charge his expenses to his father, who became livid and interpreted Corneel's actions as a sign of insanity. When Corneel returned to New York in November 1849, his father had him arrested and committed to the Bloomingdale Insane Asylum in New York until February 1850.[2]

After his release, he tried out several occupations, including law clerk, leather merchant, farmer, and revenue agent; all of which he was unsuccessful at.[4] He developed a gambling problem and reportedly used the Vanderbilt name and his considerable charm to borrow money, usually without paying them back. In particular, he obtained significant loans from Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune who was a long-time friend.[2] Corneel was also close friends with Schuyler Colfax, who later became the 17th Vice President of the United States under Ulysses S. Grant.[10]

In January 1854, the elder Cornelius again had Corneel arrested and committed to the asylum on the grounds of "confusion" and "loose habits." The doctor at the asylum reportedly told Corneel, "I am satisfied that you are no more crazy than I am," and let him go home.[11] His elder brother William told him that they were trying to get him committed to the Asylum in order to avoid Corneel being charged criminally for his acts of forgery, to which Corneel reportedly replied that he would rather be considered a damn rascal than a lunatic.[12]

Personal life

In 1856, he married Ellen Williams (1820–1872) of Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of a minister. The marriage was reportedly the only thing in Corneel's life that pleased his father; however, they did not have any children.[1] With funds from his allowance,[13][lower-alpha 1] Corneel set up a fruit farm in East Hartford, Connecticut, but was unable to make the farm solvent, and had to file for bankruptcy in 1868.[2]

After his mother's death in 1868, and the death of his wife in 1872, Vanderbilt "took up with George Terry, an unmarried hotel keeper whom Corneel considered 'my dearest friend,'"[4] Vanderbilt biographer T. J. Stiles has questioned whether the two may have been lovers, which the elder Cornelius may have suspected. Their letters between each other were intense, including a letter where Vanderbilt writes:[4] "Oh! George I cannot give you up. You must not desert me now, but must be brave & patient, and give me encouragement and hope for the future."[4] Terry met with the Commodore in December 1873 about a business proposition in Toledo, Ohio, to which he replied: "Mr. Terry, if you go to Toledo, what will become of Corneel?"[4]

Father's estate
Corneel's mansion, which he was never able to live in, located in West Hartford.

Upon his father's death in 1877, his elder brother William inherited the vast majority of the Vanderbilt estate and holdings (around $100,000,000), becoming the wealthiest man in the United States.[13] According to his father's will, Corneel was only to inherit the income from $200,000 in U.S. Bonds held in trust (receiving 5% interest),[13] which was distributed by trustees who were cautioned to oversee his behavior.[12] Additionally, should Corneel try to advance funds from the Trust, he would lose it altogether.[14]

After a lengthy court battle,[15][16][17][18][19] William eventually paid Corneel an extra $600,000 ($200,000 in cash and $400,000 in additional trust) allowing him to pay off his debts,[4] including to the estate of the late Horace Greeley, which aggregated to approximately $61,000 including interest.[2] According to his obituary, "almost immediately after the settlement Cornelius J. went to Europe, accompanied by his particular friend, Mr. Terry, and remained abroad over six months."[1]

The Commodore had purchased a 110-acre West Hartford estate in 1857 as a place for his Corneel to live. The land was not developed, and after the death of Corneel's wife in 1872, the Commodore sold the property. In 1879, two years after the elder Cornelius' death, Corneel repurchased the estate.[20] After Corneel owned the estate, he built a 30-room home mansion, designed by John C. Mead, on the land.[21]

1882 suicide

On April 2, 1882, reportedly after a night spent at a gambling house,[22] the 51-year-old Vanderbilt committed suicide at the Glenham Hotel on Fifth Avenue in New York City.[1][23] He was discovered in his fifth floor room, number 80, by Terry, who was referred to in Vanderbilt's obituary as "his friend and constant companion."[13] Terry was staying in an adjourning room, number 79, and reportedly rushed through the connecting door to Corneel's room upon hearing the gun shot that killed Vanderbilt.[1]

Vanderbilt left his recently finished mansion in Hartford, which he was supposed to move into a few weeks later, to his dearest friend Terry.[21][24] Terry sold the estate, which was subdivided into 32 building lots. The mansion was torn down in 1918, and today is the West Hill Historic District[20][25][26]

References
Notes
  1. The Commodore gave Corneel an allowance of $200 a week.[10]
Sources
  1. "Suicide of C.J. Vanderbilt; He Shoots Himself in the Head in the Glenham Hotel | William H. Vanderbilt, His Brother, at the Death-Bed--Judge E. O. Perrin Declaring that Ill-Health was the Occasion for the Act" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 April 1882. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  2. Derbyshire, Wyn (2009). Six Tycoons: The Lives of John Jacob Astor, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford and Joseph P. Kennedy. Spiramus Press Ltd. p. 37. ISBN 9781904905851. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  3. Schriftgiesser, Karl (January 26, 1941). "THE STORY OF THE VANDERBILTS; A Family Portrait of Significance in American Social History THE VANDERBILT LEGEND: THE STORY OF THE VANDERBILT FAMILY, 1794-1940. By Wayne Andrews, 454 pp. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co. $3.50. The Story of the Vanderbilts" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  4. Stiles, T. J. (2009). The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9780375415425. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  5. Catalogue of Matriculants who Have Not Graduated, 1758-1897. New York City: Columbia University. 1897. p. 19.
  6. Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. (1991). Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9780688103866: Harper Collins. p. 17. ISBN 9780688103866.CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. (1991). Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9780688103866: Harper Collins. pp. 17, 18. ISBN 9780688103866.CS1 maint: location (link)
  8. Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. (1991). Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9780688103866: Harper Collins. p. 18. ISBN 9780688103866.CS1 maint: location (link)
  9. Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. (1991). Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9780688103866: Harper Collins. p. 21. ISBN 9780688103866.CS1 maint: location (link)
  10. Clews, Henry (1888). Twenty-Eight Years in Wall Street. Irving Publishing Company. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  11. Hoffman, Charles Fenno; Flint, Timothy; Clark, Lewis Gaylord; Cornwallis, Kinahan; Agnew, John Holmes (1860). The Knickerbocker: Or, New-York Monthly Magazine. p. 602. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  12. Stasz, Clarice (2000). The Vanderbilt Women: Dynasty of Wealth, Glamour and Tragedy. iUniverse. p. 109. ISBN 9781475923537. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  13. Clark, Frank (April 1966). "The Commodore Left Two Sons | AMERICAN HERITAGE". American Heritage. 17 (3). Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  14. Barmash, Isadore (2003). The Self-Made Man: Success and Stress-American Style. Beard Books. pp. 262–263. ISBN 9781587981586. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  15. "Cornelius J. Vanderbilt's Suit.; the Other Side of the Story--a Rather Flimsy Basis to a Suit for $1,000,000 --What a Friend of William H. Vanderbilt Says" (PDF). The New York Times. 1 May 1877. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  16. "The Vanderbilt Millions.; Cornelius J. and His Money. a Vanishing Income and Accumulating Debts--Bankruptcy and Extravagance, Lending and Borrowing--High Life on Small Capital--Mr. Terry, the Companion of Cornelius, on the Stand--His Talks with the Commodore. After Recess" (PDF). The New York Times. 29 December 1877. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  17. "Cornelius J. Vanderbilt's Suit" (PDF). The New York Times. 17 December 1878. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  18. "C.j. Vanderbilt's Suit" (PDF). The New York Times. January 16, 1879. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  19. "The Vanderbilt Litigation.; Cornelius J. Vanderbilt's Suit Against His Brother William" (PDF). The New York Times. 8 April 1880. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  20. "NRHP nomination for West Hill Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
  21. Clark, Marlene (March 12, 2008). "A Place Grand Enough For The Vanderbilts To Call Home". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  22. Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. (1991). Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. Harper Collins. ISBN 9780688103866. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  23. Medina, Miriam (May 22, 2012). "The History Box.com| Suicide Of C.J. Vanderbilt: Shoots Himself In The Head 1882". www.thehistorybox.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  24. "Cornelius J. Vanderbilt's Will" (PDF). The New York Times. 10 April 1882. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  25. Cohen, Deb (20 November 2015). "Charmed, I'm Sure: West Hartford's West Hill Drive Historic District - We-Ha | West Hartford News". we-ha.com. We-Ha | West Hartford News. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  26. Cohen, Deb (November 20, 2015). "West Hill Drive Historic District | The Front Door Project". www.thefrontdoorproject.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
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