William Henry Vanderbilt

He took over for his father as president of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway the Canada Southern Railway and the Michigan Central Railroad at the time of the Commodore's death. Despite his great wealth he never considered himself happy with it — shortly before his death he said: "The care of $200 million is too great a load for any back or brain to bear. He inherited nearly $100 million from his father railroad mogul and family patriarch "The Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt upon his death in 1877 and had increased it to almost $194 million at his death less than nine years later.