Astor familj
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It was an image so rich in irony that it was almost poetic. Some of the last heirs of the legendary Astor family living in the family’s nearly year-old New York Rokeby mansion in abject squalor. The once proud symbol of a family that practically invented corporate America was now a dilapidated flophouse, sheltering poverty-stricken Astor descendants relegated to bartering for food with nearby residents to survive.
“I lived a double life,” Astor family descendant Alexandra Aldrich admitted in her memoir. “Our poverty was the big secret.”
An unquestionably sad ending to a family business dynasty that was once referred to as ‘The Landlords of New York’. But an inevitable one after a tragic pattern of hubris, greed, and disloyalty that turned son against father, mother against son.
The Birth of an American Empire
John Jacob Astor was born in Waldorf in what is now Germany in Two decades later he would immigrate to New York at the end of the Revolutionary War in search of a better life. On his voyage overseas, he would strike up a conversation with a fur trader. This casual conversation proved to be enough to spark his interest in the fur trade which became the cornerstone
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Astor family
Prominent American family
The Astor family achieved prominence in business, samhälle, 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,[1] 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.[2]
Founding family members
[edit]John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor) was the youngest of four sons born to Johann Jacob Astor (–) and Maria Magdalena vom Berg (–).
The Astor family can trace their ancestry back to Giovan Asdour (–) and Gretta Ursula Asdour (–?). 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 [3] There, they established a flute making company.[4] In , John Jacob left for Baltimore, Maryland, leaving his brother in charge of the London business, and was active first as a dealer in woodwind instrumen
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John Jacob Astor IV
American businessman (–)
John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, – April 15, ) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He was among the most prominent American passengers aboard RMS&#;Titanic and perished along with 1, others when the ship sank on her maiden voyage.[1] Astor was the richest passenger aboard the RMS Titanic and was thought to be among the richest people in the world at that time, with a net worth of roughly $87 million (equivalent to $ billion in ) when he died.[2][3]
Early life, education, and family
[edit]John Jacob Astor IV was born on July 13, , at his parents' country estate of Ferncliff in Rhinebeck, New York. He was the youngest of five children and only son of William Backhouse Astor&#;Jr., a businessman, collector, and racehorse breeder/owner, and Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn, a Dutch-American socialite. His four elder sisters were Emily, Helen, Charlotte, and Carrie.
John was a great-grandson of German–American fur-trader John Jacob Astor and Sarah Cox Todd, w