George Francis Train was never a quiet corporate employee. In an era of towering Gilded Age titans, Train operated as an explosive promoter, global traveler, and radical free-thinker who frequently clashed with establishment figures like Cornelius Vanderbilt. While popular narratives sometimes cast Train as a simple worker within the massive rail machine, his actual relationship with railroad infrastructure was far more combative, visionary, and eccentric.
Born in Boston in 1829, Train lost his family early and clawed his way into international trade, shipping, and urban transit. He didn't just build businesses; he courted chaos. From introducing street railways to British cities to financing early women's rights publications and running an independent campaign for the presidency, Train's life reads like a 19th-century adventure novel. Let's break down the reality behind his turbulent career, his interactions with railroad barons, and his lasting footprint on global history.
The Early Hustle and Global Ambitions
Train's mercantile career started long before his high-profile American railway ventures. After spending his youth under the roof of strict grandparents, he entered Boston's mercantile world before traveling to Australia to manage shipping operations during the gold rush era. He established clipper ship lines, set up chambers of commerce, and proved himself a master of financial logistics.
Yet, Train's ambitions were never localized. He noticed how poorly public transit functioned in British towns like Birkenhead, prompting him to pioneer street tramways across England. His aggressive promotion style, however, frequently landed him in legal hot water. Authorities in London arrested him for tearing up roads to lay tracks, previewing the stubborn, rule-breaking attitude he would bring back to the United States.
Clashing with the Titans: Train and Cornelius Vanderbilt
When Train turned his attention back to American infrastructure, the landscape was dominated by ruthless capitalists like Cornelius Vanderbilt. While lore occasionally paints Train as an ordinary worker under the Commodore, their dynamic was better characterized as a friction between cautious monopoly and unhinged, high-stakes speculation.
Train became heavily involved in promoting and organizing the Union Pacific Railroad and the Credit Mobilier of America. When Train aggressively championed rapid transcontinental expansion across the American West, Vanderbilt warned him that such radical maneuvers would get him labeled a lunatic.
Vanderbilt preferred consolidated, steady control of eastern trunk lines. Train, conversely, operated as an idea machine who jumped from project to project without regard for traditional corporate caution. Their clashes highlighted a pivotal fork in Gilded Age capitalism: the conservative, monopolistic consolidation practiced by Vanderbilt versus the loud, promotional capitalism embodied by Train.
Politics, Activism, and the Radical Press
Train's life extended far beyond laying iron rails. During the late 1860s and 1870s, he pivoted toward social reform and political agitation, aligning himself with surprising causes.
- Women's Suffrage Support: Train served as the primary financial backer for The Revolution, a radical weekly newspaper published by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
- Independent Presidential Bid: In 1872, Train launched an independent campaign for the United States presidency, competing against Ulysses S. Grant and Horace Greeley. He delivered theatrical campaign speeches across the country, often charging admission fees and drawing massive crowds.
- Legal Battles: He was arrested multiple times, most notably for defending Victoria Woodhull against obscenity charges related to radical publishing.
His controversial stances and eccentric behavior eventually led to a severe backlash. In 1873, authorities arrested him and threatened institutionalization in an insane asylum, a reflection of how society dealt with a man whose boundless energy outpaced Victorian norms.
The Inspiration for Jules Verne and Later Years
Perhaps Train's most enduring cultural legacy stems from his obsession with global travel. In 1870, he completed the first of three widely publicized journeys around the world, completing the trip in eighty days. Train firmly believed that French press accounts of his rapid global navigation directly inspired Jules Verne's classic novel Around the World in Eighty Days, suggesting that the fictional protagonist Phileas Fogg was modeled directly on his exploits.
Later in life, Train’s eccentricities deepened. He adopted strict vegetarianism, refused to shake hands, and insisted on communicating via yellow visiting cards. Despite his early fortune, he spent his final years living modestly at the Mills Hotel in New York City, where he died in 1904. Members of his social circle, the Thirteen Club, famously eulogized him as one of the few sane men in a mad world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was George Francis Train actually an employee of Cornelius Vanderbilt?
Not in the traditional sense of a corporate subordinate. While Train operated within the same expansive railway ecosystem and interacted directly with Vanderbilt regarding western expansion, Train functioned primarily as an independent promoter, financier, and rival visionary rather than a standard company worker.
Did George Francis Train really inspire Jules Verne?
Yes, historians generally acknowledge that Train's highly publicized 1870 global journey, which took eighty days, served as the direct real-world inspiration for Jules Verne's famous adventure novel.
Why did George Francis Train run for president?
In 1872, Train ran an independent presidential campaign fueled by populist rhetoric, opposition to political corruption, and a desire to shake up the Gilded Age political establishment. He toured the nation giving dramatic speeches to large audiences.
What happened to Train's wealth at the end of his life?
Despite making and losing multiple fortunes through international shipping, real estate, and railway promotions, Train spent his final years living in relative poverty at a modest New York lodging house, focusing on eccentric habits and street interactions with children rather than corporate finance.
