Vanderbilt himself was a crude, unrefined man who was never accepted by the elite in high society. He donated relatively little to charity, with the exception of his donation to the Methodist Church in Tennessee which was used to build Vanderbilt University. Instead Vanderbilt left almost his entire fortune to his eldest son, giving relatively little to the rest of his many children. | Vanderbilt himself was a crude, unrefined man who was never accepted by the elite in high society. He donated relatively little to charity, with the exception of his donation to the Methodist Church in Tennessee which was used to build Vanderbilt University. Instead Vanderbilt left almost his entire fortune to his eldest son, giving relatively little to the rest of his many children. |