The mascot of Vanderbilt, the Commodore, comes from the school nickname, the “Commodores.” Vanderbilt is named for Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided a million dollars in 1873 for its establishment. His penchant for steam boating resulted in his being called Commodore, and the students at the university that bore his name also became known as Commodores. Vanderbilt was a steamship entrepreneur, and the nickname “commodore” was a common one for important steamboat entrepreneurs in the 1830s, when he first began to be referred to as Commodore Vanderbilt. At the time, commodore was the highest rank in the US Navy.