Stephen Van Rensselaer

Stephen Van Rensselaer

Stephen Van Rensselaer III (November 1, 1764 – January 26, 1839) was Lieutenant Governor of New York as well as a statesman, soldier, and land-owner, the heir to one of the largest estates in the New York region at the time, which made him the tenth richest American of all time, based on the ratio of his fortune to contemporary GDP. This figure was put at $68 billion, which also makes him the twenty-second richest person in history. He founded the institution which became Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Read more about Stephen Van Rensselaer:  Early Life, Politics and The War of 1812, Later Life, Family

Famous quotes containing the words stephen, van and/or rensselaer:

    Well, at least I have the satisfaction of having destroyed a terrible monster, and in doing so rid the world of an awful curse.
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