Tilman Fertitta’s Billion-Dollar Power Play Echoes the ‘Gilded Age’ Railroad Wars
The recent corporate maneuvering by Tilman Fertitta, as he snaps up distressed assets in the hospitality and entertainment sectors, has history buffs drawing direct parallels to the 19th-century Gilded Age railroad wars. Like Vanderbilt and Gould, Fertitta is leveraging a personal fortune to consolidate industries during an economic tremor, betting that his “golden touch” during downturns will build a modern monopoly on experiences. History warns that while such consolidation often creates massive personal wealth, it also seeds the federal anti-trust crackdowns that followed the Panic of 1893.