12 Most POWERFUL FAMILIES of the GILDED AGE
The Gilded Age, an age of robber barons, industrialization, and extravagant wealth. Throughout this prosperous era of the late 1800s, we witnessed the rising of an extremely rich class of families coming into money, as well as those who’d had it for generations. Together these families are known to have played an influential role in defining the Gilded Age, as they took center stage in industry, society, and all the fanfare.
Today, we are taking you back to the Gilded Age so you can meet the big names, the families, and the individuals who helped shape this fascinating era. These are the captains of industry, the ladies and gents of high society, and those whose contributions continue to make an impact in today’s modern world.
So without further ado, here are the 12 most powerful families of the Gilded Age.
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12 Most POWERFUL FAMILIES of the GILDED AGE
• 12 Most POWERFUL FAMIL...
Carnegie was an amazing philanthropist. just about every library in the U.S. was funded by him, not counting the schools and universities he funded.
Truly amazing. His generosity outshined everyone else on this list. Thanks for watching!
Perhaps he was the OLNY true philanthropist
Carnegie believed in eugenics and contributed much money to its research. He had very unkind words about both physically and mentally disabled people. And as for races other than his white self ............
He forgot to fill them with books though.
Nellie, white people are good, too. Carnegie with “his white self” sure blessed this nation, and ALL people, with endless giving. So, there’s no need to point out his skin color, unless…….you’re racist. If you are, it’s no big deal to me.
A relevant fact about the Astor family, perhaps not important for the sake of this video but still interesting, is that John Jacob Astor IV, son and heir of William Astor, perished in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, being the wealthiest person aboard the ship.
He gave up his seat .
@@teenac718 - How the HELL would you know that!?
@@oriraykai3610 So many documentaries about Titanic
That was the reason for sinking the Titanic. Because Astor, the biggest banker in the U. S. at the time, and his big Jewish banker friends ,who were also killed by the sinking of the Titanic, would have opposed the setting up of the Federal Reserve Bank in the form that it was set up a year or so later in 1913, being allowed to print dollars without having gold or silver to back them.
@@paulflemming732 Their friends today "sinking" the world economy to "sink" the poor and middle class.
3:07 I worked at the Rockefeller mansion on the Hudson River for few years as a construction consultant. I've crawled thru the attics, tunnels and spent many hours in the barn with the car collection. I love the bat cave most of all
and today the Hearst family is STILL worth around 20 Billion in today's, money...more than any of the others mentioned, and bringing up second place is the Dupont family...at around 15 Billion.
Rothchilds are number 1
I love this! Very interesting. Fortunately I have been to the Biltmore estate in Asheville, North Carolina many times and love it so much I guess we all wish that we had been a part of these wealthy families.😂
My sister visited last year. I want go visit. I also want to visit the Rhode island gilded age mansions
I guess that would have been better than being a Is made there.
Yes, Biltmore is just incredible. What's more incredible is that they considered that their summer home.
Loved your video.. I've always been fascinated by the Vanderbilts and Biltmore house which is truly spectacular
Thank you for watching!
I’ve been there,. It’s truly beautiful!
I am intrigued toknow of the position within "The Guilded Age" if any of "The Guggenheim" family.. Guggenheim along with John Jacob Astor were on board "Titanic", neither surviving that fatal collision...
I am fascinated by the Gilded Age and I have heard of all of these families. The only one I question is the Hearsts. I think of William Randolph Hearst as being more around the turn of the century and later, not from the 1870's - 1900. However, I think your video was wonderful!!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
How about the Gettys?
The majority of these families, through trusts and tax shelters, are still powerful and have influence over our economy and government!
Sad but true.
Anderson Cooper, a Vanderbilt. I'd say he has enriched our country in ways other than monetary. Also I once knew someone who was a Rockefeller descendant. She was such a sweet person and not at all a snob, but she was rich.
Thanks for sharing this most interesting documentary.❤
Thank you for watching!
They all sound pretty fascinating.
Hold up, Timothy Oliphant is a Vanderbilt?!??! I knew about Cooper Anderson but not Oliphant
Good work. I watch all of the Guilded Age content and you all have something interesting and unique about them that makes your channels so interesting. One of the biggest takeaways (aside from your amusing slam on the Vanderbilt heirs (crappy news stations/singing and dancing for their supper) was how good looking the Roosevelts were. What a handsome family. The others were so unattractive, their fur coats and jewels notwithstanding.
True, the Roosevelts were quite an attractive bunch (despite the inbreeding). Thanks so much for tuning in!
Eleanor was cute at age 16. After that, well....😢
Actually most of them were atractive for their time. Consuelo Vanderbuilt was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, Edith Vanderbuilt was also considered one of the most beautiful woman (Biltmore's grand dame). And not all of the Vanderbuilt money went to waste. While George W Vanderbuilt II did spend most of his on Biltmore, his grandson and grt grandson still own it today, while hiis other grt grandson have a lucrative real estate portfolio due to their inheritance. GWV II & his wife also devoted quite alot of resources to the town of Asheville in terms of housing, churches, schools, and working class programs to learn trades.
@@huchlvr It's much easier for a wealthy person to be attractive,.
@@huchlvr And don't forget that the Vanderbilts have given us a man I consider an American treasure - Anderson Cooper.
Cheers and Vivat for these Pioneers and Builders of a Powerful Nation !
Out of all these families in this video I only recognized 5 of them. Particularly the Astors and the Roosevelts.
Carnegie is my fav we need more humans like him
Actually, he could be a miserable boss, but he left everything bad that needed doing to Henry Frick who therefore got all the bad publicity rather than Carnegie. He hated the idea that anyone should want better pay and working conditions in HIS company.
@@LJB103 He supported eugenics and contributed much money to its research. He had very unkind words for both physically and mentally disabled people. As for people other than his white self well.........
@@LJB103 The most notorious instance of that dirty work must be noted to go along with what you said. That was the Homestead Steel Strike massacre. Carnegie gave the approval, or Frick would never have been able to order the Pinkerton massacre of the strikers. Though another lesser known order by Frick alone, caused thousands of deaths. He wouldn't allow work to be done to the Johnstown Dam in Johnstown Pennsylvania., as it would have disrupted travel to his country club. The Dam broke, and flooded Johnstown in a huge torrent of water that killed THOUSANDS. Frick was never charged for this, much less arrested.
@@algini12 True, but was it just Frick or all the rich members?
@@LJB103 Frick owned the place. And I think he owned the Dam too, but I can't remember for certain.
wonderful insight to the magical force of dedication to earn wealth and keep it within a society of same minded thinkers of the day..fun to read & listen to, thank you for your insight..I think Canegie was a real leader in philantropy. It was to better the common man wanting to learn..
Thank you 🙏
Great stories thank you
For wealth comparisons with today's US dollars, one could multiply the numbers by about 1000. The VanderBilt fortune of US$108 million would equal roughly US$100 billion today.
Actually John D Rockefeller's fortune would be equal to about $400 billion today, and Carnegie's fortune would be somewhere in the mid-$300 billion area.
@@LJB103 Yes, you may be right. The point is of course, that such numbers may exceed the acceptance levels of people.
Oh really? Is that why you only multiply by 31 to know the value of money 40 years earlier in today's money? Vanderbilt's fortune would be 3 billion. That just means that WE live in the TRUE guilded age.
I live in Nashville TN area. Home of Vanderbilt University and the Commadores. I have been to Biltmore twice and hope to go again. Incredible! So they are my favorite.
LOL their descendants had to resort to working for crappy news networks 🤣🤣
Love their definition of summer cottages.
I read a fascinating book about Mrs Astor. The one thing that stuck with me the most was, if a person accepted an invitation to Mrs Astor's home, be it for tea, dinner a ball or whatever, there was NO excuse for cancelling and that included death. Not just a family member but YOU YOURSELF. If a death happened the poor unfortunate corpse's family better find an ACCEPTABLE replacement because if you upset Mrs Astor's dinner count, your entire family would immediately fall to the bottom of the social ladder and that meant expulsion from all other society families until you moved back into Mrs Astor's good graces. Yikes!
So ruthless of her, though we’re not surprised! Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, high society can be a bitch. So many rules....and "punishments".
People who live like that are burning in Hell
@@greypupofficial Good lord. That's a bit much isn't it? Pick up a book one day on the life of high society and the elite. It's all they know. These are not people that are running to the supermarket. It's a completely different set of rules. Fascinating actually. Check out Amy Vanderbilt,s book on etiquette.
@@mr.rightnow.7300 Why read a book when you wrote a book as a comment.
Great breakdown thank you!
Very welcome!
Next the 13 bloodlines that would be epic
Which includes some of these.
This is a new fascination of mine. The gilded age. Which family impressed me the most? The Carnegie family. Such philanthropy is astonishing to us in this era. Or do I just not know about present day equivalents? 95% of his wealth was given to good causes? Where does that happen today?
If you're really fascinated I suggest the novels of Edith Wharton. She brings the Gilded Age to life.
@@joansutton - thank you. I will have a look.
I did not know about the Melons. Thank you.
Thank you for this video
Thank you for watching.
Alva and Alice Vanderbilt gave to us the single greatest lesson to be learned from the gilded age-rich men must be very careful not to marry wrongly.
So sexist
Well done thank you
Thank you!
Your photos of the 4 Astors at the end of the segment mislabels John Jacob VI as IV (his father who died on the Titanic). Some how Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney was thought of as "the poor Whitney" when compared to his cousin Jock Whitney (whose daughters were actually the children of his 2nd wife and her 1st husband, FDR's son James Roosevelt II). Another family that belongs on this list are the Marshall Fields.
Good catch. Thanks!
@@schmancy2978 ...Actually Vanderbilt was one of the lucky ones who somehow knew to cancel his trip on the Titanic, { Olympic } just as White Star and Titanic owner JP Morgan did, wink wink. Vanderbilt would die 4 years later on the Lusitania when it sunk. Karma's a bitch isn't it. BTW....If your talking about the most powerful men in America, there is no way you can leave out Jacob Schiff and the Warburgs. The Schiff family lived side by side in a duplex in Frankfort with the Rothschilds when they were beginning their banking dynasties. Jacob Schiff came to America in 1880 as the main Rothschild agent with two primary goals. 1. To eventually get the Federal Reserve Act passed and 2. to help weaken Russia so it could later be destroyed. It was Schiff who arranged a 200 million dollar loan to Japan in 1905 so they could go to war with Russia, and Schiff hosted Leon Trotsky in New York before giving him 20 million in gold and sending him off to Russia for the Revolution. It was actually Schiff who was calling the shots in Russia, since it was he who ordered the murder of Tsar Nicholaus II and his entire family. Lenin and Trotsky had no say in the matter. Ironically, Schiff died in 1923, the same year Stalin came to power, just as they had to get rid of Robespierre so Napoleon would have no rival in power and they disabled Lenin so Schiff would have no rival for power. Furthermore....The Roosevelt's were indeed of Dutch decent and became rich off the opium war on China and piracy. You've heard of the Dutch West Indies Corp right? Also, 3 of the wealthiest Americans, Astor, Stauss and Gugenhiem, who opposed the Federal Reserve Act along with some other politicians died on the Titanic after being given complimentary tickets by JP Morgan, while Morgan and a couple dozen of his friends cancelled last minute, wink wink. You of coarse have given a list of openly wealthy people who people figure would be the most powerful, but as usual, the actual most powerful, most people have never heard of. Example...JP Morgan was the face of the banking industry, but actually nothing more than a red herring. For 43 years, Jacob Schiff was the most powerful man in America, and hardly anyone has heard of him. Sorry to ramble on so much.
You didn't include my favorite Robber Baron--Leland Stanford.
Was Senator William A. Clark considered for your Gilded Age families. He and John D. Rockefeller were tied as the wealthiest men in America. His daughter Huguette Clark caused a sensation in her eccentric years in the 2000's and was the source for the book, "Empty Mansions."
Thank you for watching! We chose to go with only the biggest names for this list. However, we were sure to include Senator Clark in our upcoming video. We might also highlight Huguette in a future video. So stay tuned…
I read that book. Sad
@@schmancy2978 A video on Huguette Clark would be great. I don't think a lot of people know her bizarre story.
@@schmancy2978 Okay,. So,. I’m gonna have to subscribe now,. Loved your story! Very interesting!
5:06 that’s John J Astor VI, not IV Tiny error but overall amazing video, thank you!
Thank you!
I loved it!!!!❤
Thank you!
What an interesting and informative video! KZhead is just great.
Guggenheim & Astor were Morgan's rivals. Both died. Who financed White Star lines??
The men who built America and made the world better.
Carnegie believed in eugenics and contributed much money to its research
Sadly.
Oh, I actually didn’t know that. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but thanks for the little education. 😊
Knew he couldn't have been all that. Thanks for the info.
You have enough names to make a second dozen. My favorites are the Clark fortune, as in the attorney for Isaac Singer (and he was a bad boy!) who left us the museums in Cooperstown, Williamstown and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.
These are videos, among others that speak to our history, that need to be shown in class rooms as part of History and Political education.
This video would be very interesting to high school classes. It's a great part of American history.
An interesting introduction and the integrity of the content would have been stronger if reference was made or the fact mentioned that some families' establishments played a role in facilitating the continuation of the practice of enslaving people. Banking and insurance comes to mind.
Maybe Carnegie tried to buy a ticket to heaven.
I would like to know more about lesser known gilded age families or individuals, lots of information on the obvious ones, just a suggestion
Noted. We’ll add it to our list for future videos. Thanks.
You left out Rothschilds
They weren't Americans
@@johnscanlan9335 they are very well established in america
@@billyboy969 they certainly had extensive business interests here in the United States but they didn't live here or have any significant social presence.
@@johnscanlan9335 I never had a reason to look that much as to where they lived or partied , but just heard about a house in west palm beach Florida.they have had major power impacts all over the world - much like the others you named.
@@billyboy969 you seem to have answered your own question. If they had or have a house in West Palm Beach, they by definition weren't taking their social presence in the United States very seriously. No self-respecting Robber Baron would be caught dead in WEST Palm!
Ahahaha, "crappy news networks" 2:02. For that line alone---I'm subscribing/liking this channel!
@@suzyfarnham3165 Or what you really mean, once it gets political by making fun of YOUR political party you are "out." It's common knowledge anyone with any semblance of intelligence knows CNN is nothing but a bad joke, a farce, a travesty and only listened to by abject morons. My subscription balanced out your unsub. along with many others who no doubt subscribed for that correct observation regarding the crappy news network. I think he was being nice by even calling it a "news network."
I Agree
That was gold!
The fortune of the hears was really made by his father, and his huge copper mine
While in college, Wm Randolph Hearst III took a menial job with my hometown newspaper, The Santa Maria Times, owned by Hearst corp. He happened to live in the same apartment complex as I did and we were the same age. I didn't know him well but we were both at a few parties. He drove a really cute Mercedes Roadster sports car and NO ONE in my town owned a Mercedes that I knew of-about 25,000 people in Santa Maria then.I do remember one party Will brought his school chum, Eddie with him. That would be Edsel Ford II!!! Both of them were nice enough guys and when ever they introduced themselves to someone new, it was just as Will and Eddie. No pretensions there just in the cars they drove. That was my brush with old big money and made me realize we are all just the same!
I actually associated with him in a therapy group, but didn't know his last name then. I said to him once that I thought his father was some sort of salesman. I was right, but he laughed. Will seemed quite a nice guy, just as you say.
Regardless of whether it’s new or old money, I’m glad these brilliant people were able to help improve the world and hence our lives
Background music is irritating, but the info is interesting.
Carnegie, who knew when he must stop and lives his life. And after him remans a lot of culture places!
Pls do a part 2
I'd love to see a video about the Lodge's and the Cabots of New England.
My third great Grandmother was a Whitney. I am learning more and more about this fascinating family.
The Kennedy, the Woolworth-Hutton, the Donahu , the Westinghouse shloud be in the selection as well.
My Grandfather and great uncle worked as house staff for the Whitney's in the 30's. I went to Marymount School in Manhattan that had been the residence of one of I believe Payne Whitney. On a website when I googled the mansion, it looked familiar because at the time I was going to Marymount I did not realize it was the Whitney mansion.
Thank you for sharing!
Can I have a job?
What i find more interesting is they thought they were above reproach.
You left out the Gübenüddler von Höffenpooper Smiths. Made their money in building a railway out of ivory and spent it on a x2 scale replica of the Eiffel Tower, made from ivory. Smith College Wyoming is named after them, it's built largely from ivory.
Robber barons ... all successful during times of no taxes, or very little, before 1920.
Yes, we couldn’t agree more.
Even with taxes.....They're back and as bad, if not worse, than before! Musk, Bezos, Gates, et al.
No one else paid taxes either. As long as you were somewhere between amoral and immoral you to could rob, pillage and rape the country. Carnegie’s steel plant had 100,000 deaths/maimed workers. The injured worker received no compensation for their injuries due to unsafe working conditions. If worker tried to strike they were beaten and even murdered.
Some time early on they paid a really high tax rate, might have been the only taxeed group.
Hence, the Federal Reserve act of 1913. You have these families to blame for that.
Still they are powerful families at this time
Exactly. These families legacy is still very much alive
Seeing Sonja Morgan reminds me of her iconic “DO NOT TOUCH THE MORGAN LETTERS!”
How could you exclude Henry Frick?
The Morgans fascinated me since I didn’t know that’s where that housewife came from 😮😅
KENNEDY’s, Rockefeller money is the gift that keeps on giving!!
What about the Kennedy family .
I like the videos because they’re fast-paced. My only criticism is about Andrew Carnegie because the majority of his so-called philanthropic efforts occurred after the Johnstown flood, and were clearly an effort to soothe a guilty conscience.
Oh Lord Follow the rabbit train on these families You’ll find the reasons for our current society
Even if you are very rich, if you fail to manage wealth and make wrong decisions, you will perish or lose your dominance. Like the Vanderbilt and Roosevelt families. Carnegies may also be included. They don't have the same effect as before. Do the descendants of these families still live as if they were rich? We don't know much about them. Also, I had never heard of the Gould, Duke, Whitney, and Hearst families before. The Mellon family is by far the most profitable of these families. Today they are richer than they have ever been.
Gould's are still in New York. I've met them.
@@seameology Cool! Are they still very rich? Also, what about Morgan and the Roosevelt family? What happened to them? they are not in sight.
I only knew from the Dukes 😂 from my trips to NC , I’m a latin anerica foreign of course
Also, Astoria Oregon is named after John Jacob Astor. Thomas Jefferson and him collaborated ( with Astor's money) to send expeditions to Oregon to help settle and colonize the western states, immediately after Lewis and Clark went west. They simultaneously sent a land expedition as well as a sea expedition. The sea expedition landed in where is now, Astoria Oregon. There is a book called "Astoria" by Peter Clark, that is highly recommended, to learn about all this.
You could not give me any one of those houses even if I were a zillionaire. It was one of those “keep up with the Jone’s” kind of people that I find revolting. Besides, they were not homes, but hotels!
The Joneses were actully the family of Edith Wharton. Her maiden name was Edith Newbold Jones.
Amazing how the all made it big in the USA
I would like to see a video about dash for titles in the gilded age
Thanks! We will add it to our list for future videos!
How about the Anheuser-Busch? the owner of Budweiser
"Massive endowments"!! 😅🤣 did mo one else catch that???! 🤣
I'd add the family of Henry Huttleston Rogers, every bit as rich as these others, and his amazing granddaughter Millicent Rogers.
Thanks we’ll consider them for future videos.
It's pronounced CarnEgie. Learned that while living in Pittsburgh.
I'm surprised GETTY was not included.
Cornelius Vanderbilt built the Grand Trunk Railway in eastern Canada about 10 years before he died.The railway went bankrupt. The Grand Trunk Pacific was formed to accommodate passengers from Vancouver to Prince Rupert.This railway became a subsidiary company of the CNR.The Candian National Railway was the parent company and all assets belonged to them.All said lands adjacent to their railway. The Grand Trunk Railway is no longer in existence,and has absolutely no assets. My father is getting screwed with by some family members,nephews.They logged his land in Quick, BC,Canada What did they do next but try to cover it up my making a completely false caviete. They did this by one of their daughters working in the Land Title Office of British Columbia. When you check into the history from CN themselves,they can explain why ownership by the Grand Trunk Railway is impossible.Grade 11 History taught me a lot about Canadian History,including the construction of our National railroad network. I'm going to sue them for this and trespassing on my dad Ed Pottinger Sr.s land.And trying to steel it from him.Real nice cousins I have,such respect for their uncle
Very interesting indeed. Good luck
@jackielaurin8692 My father has passed and my brother is making it very difficult to proceed.Family can turn on you when a parent passes
13:29, that’s Mary Lou Whitney the owner of Birdstone who won the Belmont.
Who was the guy who got rich by tapping into the telegraph for prior info on the movement markets or news he knew must change the markets?
Add the Fricks
The great hidden bonanza that made these families and Wall Street so wealthy was the government giving the railroad Right-of-ways to anyone who wanted to build a railroad. If you consider the magnitude of this from settlement, development of the country, the amount of real estate involved, property values and every level of extortionary control it is too staggering to account.
Wm Randolph Hearst was the one who had Hemp criminalized as most paper was made from hemp but Hearst held millions of acres of timber n North West n by criminalizing hemp then paper could be made from trees.
what about the bakers (harvardU baker library)? george fisher baker's son, grandsons and great grandsons' lives were cut short. the banking family's tragedies reminds one of the kennedy's. 😭
Hearst is also one of the main reasons cannabis was made illegal
I'd like to know the about the families who got rich from American slavery and where are those families now.
What about the Fricks - Henry Clay and his children?
Love Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper. These families do continue to make a positive impact today, especially through nonprofits and foundations. Would love a less cynical narration of these people. Nobody likes show-offs, but 'singing and acting' isn't a bad way to make a living.
I just watched a biography of Gloria here on KZhead. I was so impressed with her creativity and immense courage. Her life was not easy, despite her wealth. And what a gift Anderson Cooper is to our nation.
Does anyone know if the original wealth of the most wealthiest people in the world originates back to taking gold, diamonds natural resources, oil, slaves working to build their wealth from the continent of Africa to start the original wealth cycle? And then later real estate, later financial banking systems? The Catholic Church, the Vatican had wealth many years ago. Did the rich families start their wealth from there?
12 family run the word .
what about the getty family?
He left out the part that they all got their money from slavery, cotton and tobacco. Then they went into steam ships and railroads history didn’t just start after the Civil War what you’re looking at or slaveowners the descendants of.
American capitalism based on the backs of slaves.
Always funny, these old formal photos always show them unsmiling.
I still enjoy learning about this time period, and I find the stories of all these families fascinating. Can you make a video about the top 10 most powerful families in Tudor England? Also, William Randolph Hearst is a bit of a jerk. Don't shout at me for saying this. William did leave behind an amazing legacy. But he also ruined the life of another family, the Ismays.
we now have yellow journalism in the media: MSNBC and CNN being the most flagrant...and the New York Times, Washington Post...CBS? NBC? ABC? the Atlantic Monthly? PBS? NPR? the Associated Press or AP? kinda' prevalent I would say.
@@bobbylee9727 Fox News and Newsmax are solid examples of clickbait yellow journalism.
@@bobbylee9727 funny you don’t mention the one “news” outlet that actually lie, twist their facts, and make up facts. And several of their “journalists” have actually admitted it….. if you still don’t know who I’m talking about, they just settled a 787 million dollar law suit- why? Because they were caught dead to rights
The house in California, William Randolph Hearst founded and established San Simeon is absolutely astounding. It puts many European wealthy homes and castles to shame.
That is quite true.@@michaelverbakel7632
Woolworth...and the sad tale of Barbara Hutton, " The Dime Store Princess".
How can you not Include the Ford family as part of the gilded age
They’re 20th century.
@@schmancy2978 I guess you’re right
When did the gilded age really and did it go into the 20th century at all if not then I miss spoke
What about the guggenheim's
The saying goes you have to spend money to make money.
What about Hettie Green AKA the witch of Wall Street the mizer
The Goelets, though less well known, should have been on this list.