The Astor family achieved prominence in business , society , and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to the Italian and Swiss Alps , the Astors settled in Germany, first appearing in North America in the 18th century with John Jacob Astor , one of the wealthiest people in history.
31-464: William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (31 March 1848 – 18 October 1919) was an American-English attorney, politician, hotelier, publisher and philanthropist. Astor was a scion of the very wealthy Astor family of New York City . He moved to England in 1891, became a British subject in 1899, and was made a peer as Baron Astor in 1916 and Viscount Astor in 1917 for his contributions to war charities. The census-designated place of Waldorf, Maryland
62-615: A LL.B. in 1875. He was called to the United States Bar in 1875. He worked for a short time in law practice and in the management of his father's estate of financial and real estate holdings. Astor married Mary Dahlgren Paul (born 1858, died 22 December 1894) on 6 June 1878. She is buried in Trinity Church Cemetery Manhattan. They had five children: After some time practising law, Astor thought he had found his true calling and an opportunity to make
93-494: A castle built in 1270 where Anne Boleyn lived as a child. Astor invested a great deal of time and money in restoring the castle, building what is known as the "Tudor Village", and creating a lake and lavish gardens. He also added the Italian Garden (including fernery ) to display his collection of statuary and ornaments. In 1906, he gave his eldest son Waldorf Astor and his new daughter-in-law, Nancy Witcher Langhorne ,
124-503: A country estate, Cliveden in Taplow , Buckinghamshire , from the Duke of Westminster . In 1899 , William Waldorf Astor picked up British citizenship, which drew him further away from American history. To disappear from public view, in the summer of 1892, Astor faked his own death by having his staff report to American reporters that he had died, apparently from pneumonia. However, the ruse
155-508: A flute making company. In 1783, John Jacob left for Baltimore, Maryland , leaving his brother in charge of the London business, and was active first as a dealer in woodwind instruments , then in New York as a merchant in opium , furs , pianos , and real estate . After moving to New York, John met and married Sarah Cox Todd (1762–1842). She worked alongside her husband as a consultant, and
186-625: A name for himself outside of his family's fortune by entering the political realm. In 1877, with his eyes set on the United States Congress, Astor entered New York City politics as a Republican . He was elected as a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co., 11th D.) in 1878 ; and of the New York State Senate (10th D.) in 1880 and 1881 . Astor was likely supported by the boss of
217-539: Is named after John Jacob Astor. There are towns of Astor in the states of Florida , Georgia , Iowa , and Kansas and there are Astorias in Illinois , Missouri , and Oregon . In Astoria, Oregon, the primary elementary school, a filming location for the 1990 film Kindergarten Cop , is called John Jacob Astor Elementary . The city is also home to the Astoria Column . In Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom, there
248-641: Is named after him. William Waldorf Astor was born in New York City . He was the only child of the financier and philanthropist John Jacob Astor III (1822–1890) and Charlotte Augusta Gibbes (1825–1887). He studied in Germany and in Italy under the care of private tutors and a governess. In his early adult years, Astor returned to the United States and went to Columbia Law School , graduating with
279-845: The Pall Mall Gazette , and in 1893 established the Pall Mall Magazine . In 1911 he acquired The Observer , a national newspaper. In 1912 he sold the Magazine , and in 1914 made a present of the Gazette and The Observer , with the building in Newton Street and its contents, to his son Waldorf Astor . In 1903, he acquired the Hever Castle Estate near Edenbridge, Kent , about 30 miles south of London. The estate of over 3,500 acres had at its centre
310-662: The New York Public Library . English descendants of the Astors hold two hereditary peerages : Viscount Astor and Baron Astor of Hever . While many Astor family members joined the Episcopal Church , John Jacob Astor remained a member of a Reformed congregation to his death. For many years, the members of the Astor family were known as "the landlords of New York". Their New York City namesakes are
341-831: The Soldiers and Sailors Families Association ; and the Women's Memorial to Queen Victoria. His gifts to war charities included $ 125,000 to the Prince of Wales's National Relief Fund; a similar amount to Princess Louise's Officers' Families Fund; $ 200,000 to the British Red Cross; $ 25,000 to Queen Mary's Employment Committee; and a similar sum to the Lord Mayor's National Bands Fund. He gave $ 5,000 to King Edward's Hospital Fund annually starting with its founding in 1897. In recognition of his work for charity, on 1 January 1916, he
SECTION 10
#1732783130624372-661: The Cliveden estate as well as the Sancy diamond as wedding presents. Nancy Astor (as she became on her marriage) became Britain's first seated female Member of Parliament. In 1908, building on his success with the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, Astor financed the Waldorf Hotel in London's West End . Astor became a British subject in 1899. He continued his philanthropic activities, like his father. Among
403-570: The County of Kent (1916), and [REDACTED] Baron Astor of Hever , of Hever Castle in the County of Kent (1956), were granted with the standard remainder to the legitimate male heirs of the bodies of the original grantees. Both of the current titleholders continue to sit in the House of Lords following the expulsion of the majority of the hereditary peers by the House of Lords Act 1999 . The following
434-561: The Lord and Lady Astor Suites; the hotel salon is called Astor's. There is even a Hostel in York , England called The Astor. In addition, a dormitory at St. George's School in Newport, Rhode Island, bears Astor's name. The Danubius Hotel Astoria in the center of Pest, Budapest, Hungary, opened in 1914, was given its name by the original hotel owners and Mihály Gellér, the first General Manager of
465-697: The Maidstone campus of Mid-Kent College. At one time the Oakwood Park Estate also contained an educational farm attached to the Astor of Hever School. There is a neighborhood called Astor Park just south of downtown Green Bay, Wisconsin . At the heart of this neighborhood is a park (also called "Astor Park"); the Astor family donated this land for the building of a trade school. The Astors were also prominent on Mackinac Island , Michigan , and Newport, Rhode Island , with their summer house, Beechwood . At Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, there are
496-701: The New York State Republican machine, Roscoe Conkling , with whom his family was involved. In 1880, the Maryland General Assembly voted to rename Beantown in Charles County , Maryland "Waldorf" in honor of him. In 1881, Astor was defeated by Roswell P. Flower as a candidate for the United States Congress . A second attempt at the seat also resulted in defeat. His shy nature could not handle
527-745: The charities he supported were the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street (to which he gave $ 250,000 in 1903); University College London (including a gift of £20,000 in 1902 for professorships); the Cancer Research Fund; Oxford University ; Cambridge University ; the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ; the British Red Cross Society; Gordon Memorial College , Khartoum;
558-510: The death of his father in February 1890, Astor inherited a personal fortune that made him the second richest man in America. Economists widely agree that John D. Rockefeller was the wealthiest American of that time. In 1890 Astor initiated the construction of the luxurious Waldorf Hotel on the site of his former residence. At 13 stories high, it overshadowed the adjacent mansion of his aunt,
589-523: The famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel , an Astor Row , Astor Court , Astor Place , and Astor Avenue in the Bronx , where the Astors stabled horses. The neighborhood of Astoria, Queens , was renamed to incite John Jacob Astor to invest there. Beyond New York City, the Astor family name is imprinted in a great deal of United States history and geography. Astor Street , in Chicago's landmark Gold Coast district,
620-595: The founding sire of all Standardbred horses in the United States today. The third brother Melchior remained in Germany. During the 19th century, the Astors became one of the wealthiest families in the United States . Toward the end of that century, some of the family moved from America to England and achieved high prominence there. During the 20th century, the number of American Astors began to decline, but their legacy lives on in their many public works including
651-514: The friction had blown up into a feud. Aunt Lina also insisted that she, not William's wife Mary, was the Mrs. Astor in New York society, just as she had when that title belonged to her husband's elder brother's wife, Charlotte Astor, when she was alive. As a result of the conflict, Astor moved with his wife and children to England. He rented Lansdowne House in London until 1893. That year, he purchased
SECTION 20
#1732783130624682-745: The hotel, who formerly worked for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. In Shanghai, China there is the Astor House Hotel in the Bund. Mount Astor in Antarctica was named after Vincent Astor by the explorer Richard E. Byrd . Both in the Peerage of the United Kingdom , the titles [REDACTED] Viscount Astor , of Hever Castle in the County of Kent (1917), with subsidiary title [REDACTED] Baron Astor , of Hever Castle in
713-525: The marble floor of the Astor family chapel (also called the Octagon Temple ) at Cliveden. Through his son John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever , he is a great-great-grandfather of Harry Marcus George Lopes (b. 1977), who married Laura Rose Parker Bowles , the second child of Andrew Parker Bowles and Queen Camilla , thus making her the stepdaughter of King Charles III . [1] Astor family John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor)
744-519: The overland Astor Expedition in 1810–1812 to reach the outpost, which was in the then-disputed Oregon Country . Control of Fort Astoria played a key role in English and American territorial claims on the region. John and George's brother Henry (born Heinrich) (1754–1833) also emigrated to America. Henry was a horse racing enthusiast, and purchased a thoroughbred named Messenger , who had been brought from England to America in 1788. The horse became
775-450: The political attacks on his character. This was the end of his political career. The press used his political failures as fodder for harsh criticisms. In 1882, President Chester A. Arthur appointed Astor Minister to Italy , a post he held until 1885. He told Astor, "Go and enjoy yourself, my dear boy." While living in Rome , Astor developed a lifelong passion for art and sculpture. Upon
806-530: The socialite Caroline "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor . Lina complained bitterly about the commercial establishment next door. However, in 1897, her son John Jacob Astor IV persuaded her to move away and replaced their mansion with the slightly larger in height and width, Astoria Hotel, which was operated as an extension of the Waldorf; the complex became the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel . In the meantime,
837-517: Was a secondary state school named Astor of Hever School. It was located within Oakwood Park, a former residence of the Astor family, which the family gifted to the Borough of Maidstone to be used for educational purposes. Whilst the Astor of Hever School changed its name in the early 2010s, it is still located on the Oakwood Park Estate, along with a Grammar School, a Catholic Secondary school and
868-481: Was accused of witchcraft after her success with the company in 1817. The accusations never led to legal action. They had eight children, including John Jacob Astor Jr. (1791–1869) and real estate businessman William Backhouse Astor Sr. (1792–1875). John Jacob's fur trading company established a Columbia River trading post at Fort Astoria in 1811, the first United States community on the Pacific coast. He financed
899-560: Was offered and accepted a peerage of the United Kingdom under the title of Baron Astor . On 3 June 1917, he was elevated to the rank of viscount as the Viscount Astor . The elevation was controversial, as some felt that a rich American had bought his way into the English aristocracy. On 18 October 1919, he unexpectedly died of heart failure in the lavatory of his seaside house at Brighton in Sussex . His ashes were buried under
930-519: Was soon discovered, and Astor was mocked in the press. In 1895, he built a gothic mansion on London's Victoria Embankment at Two Temple Place overlooking the River Thames . He commissioned architect John Loughborough Pearson to design a $ 1.5 million building, a "crenellated Tudor stronghold" which he used as an office for managing his extensive holdings. Astor made several business acquisitions while he lived in London. In 1892, he purchased
961-776: Was the youngest of four sons born to Johann Jacob Astor (1724–1816) and Maria Magdalena vom Berg (1730–1764). The Astor family can trace their ancestry back to Giovan Asdour (1595–1668) and Gretta Ursula Asdour (1589–?). Giovan was born in Chiavenna , Italy, and died in Zürich , Switzerland. Their son, Hans Pieter Asdor, was born in Switzerland and died in Nußloch . John Jacob and his brother George, born in Walldorf left Germany and moved to London in 1778. There, they established