Jay Gould

Jay Gould (1836–1892) was an American financier and railroad investor who built a large network of railway holdings and fought Cornelius Vanderbilt for control of the Erie Railway.

Erie War: A 1860s struggle in which Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould fought for control of the Erie Railway through stock purchases and legal maneuvers. This contest made Gould's tactics and rivalry with Vanderbilt nationally prominent.
Roxbury, New York: A town in the Catskill Mountains where Jay Gould was born in 1836. Gould's rural upbringing preceded his move into surveying and business.
Cornelius Vanderbilt: An American shipping and railroad magnate who consolidated major transportation networks in the nineteenth century. Vanderbilt was Gould's principal rival in the fight for the Erie Railway.
Union Pacific Railroad: A transcontinental railroad company whose construction connected the eastern U.S. rail network with the Pacific coast. Gould gained influence in Union Pacific and used it to extend his western railroad interests.
John D. Rockefeller: An American industrialist who built Standard Oil into a dominant oil-refining and transportation company. Rockefeller's consolidation of oil contrasts with Gould's emphasis on railroad networks and financial maneuvering.
Erie Railway: A major American railroad that linked New York City with the Great Lakes region. Control of the Erie Railway was the central prize in Gould's battle with Vanderbilt.
Surveying: The measurement and mapping of land to determine boundaries, positions, and elevations. Gould began his working life as a surveyor before entering commerce.
Daniel Drew: An American financier and railroad speculator who helped Gould gain influence over the Erie Railway. Drew joined Gould in the Erie struggle before their interests diverged.
Transcontinental railroad: A railway route connecting the eastern United States with the Pacific coast. Gould's western railway investments grew within the economic transformation created by transcontinental connections.
Andrew Carnegie: A Scottish-American industrialist who built a leading steel enterprise and later became a major philanthropist. Carnegie's public philanthropy offers a different model of legacy from Gould's largely private fortune.

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