John Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever
Encyclopedia
John Jacob Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever, DL
(born 16 June 1946) is a British
businessman and Conservative
elected hereditary peer
in the House of Lords
. He is currently a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
at the Ministry of Defence.
and Lady Irene Haig
(daughter of Field Marshal the 1st Earl Haig
). He succeeded his father in 1984.
He has been twice married:
One of his five children is autistic
. He lives in Westerham
, Kent.
before serving with the Life Guards
(the senior regiment of the British Army
, part of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
) from 1966 until 1970, where he visited Malaysia, Hong Kong
and Northern Ireland
as well as ceremonial duties in London
.
He worked in France for 11 years, and is now patron of the Conservatives in Paris.
From 1998-2001, he served as an Opposition Spokesman on Social Security and Health from 1998-2003. From 2001, he has been an Opposition Spokesman for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, and International Development, and from 2003 to 2010, Opposition Spokesman for Defence. He is, as of May 2010, a Lord in Waiting.
He is Former Hon Vice Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council
In 1995 he piloted through the House of Lords the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act and in 1996 the Trading Schemes Act.
of Kent
. He is also president of the Durand Group (WWI Research) and the Westerham Branch of the Royal British Legion and trustee of the Astor of Hever Trust. He is a former patron of the Edenbridge and District Rifle Club, the League of Friends of Edenbridge Hospital, the Durand Group, the Kent Youth Association, the Bridge Trust, the Aquarian Opera, the Edenbridge Music & Arts Trust, and the Worldwide Volunteering for Young People. Astor was formerly president of the Motorsport Industry Association
, the Earl Haig
branch of the Royal British Legion, the Eden Valley Museum, and the Kent County Royal British Legion. He was also president of RoSPA and Chairman of St John, Kent, in the Kent Committee of the Country Land and Business Association from 1987 to 1997.
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(born 16 June 1946) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman and Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
elected hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He is currently a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
at the Ministry of Defence.
Early life and family
Astor was born in June 1946 as the eldest son of Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of HeverGavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever
Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever was a British soldier, publisher, and peer. His father was John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever....
and Lady Irene Haig
Irene Astor, Baroness Astor of Hever
Irene Astor, Baroness Astor of Hever was the widow of Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever.She was born as Lady Irene Violet Freesia Janet Augusta Haig in 1919. She was the daughter of Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig and The Honourable Dorothy Maud Vivian...
(daughter of Field Marshal the 1st Earl Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
). He succeeded his father in 1984.
He has been twice married:
- 1) Fiona Diana Lennox Harvey (1 July 1970- divorced 1990); three children:
- i) The HonourableThe HonourableThe prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Camilla Astor (born 8 May 1974) - ii) The HonourableThe HonourableThe prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Tania Jentie Astor (born 18 April 1978) - iii) The HonourableThe HonourableThe prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Violet Magdalene Astor (born 1980)
- i) The Honourable
- 2) The Honourable Elizabeth Mackintosh (1990 to date); two children:
- The HonourableThe HonourableThe prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Charles Gavin John Astor (born 10 November 1990) - The HonourableThe HonourableThe prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Olivia Alexandra Elizabeth Astor (born 21 August 1992)
- The Honourable
One of his five children is autistic
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
. He lives in Westerham
Westerham
Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, in South East England with 5,000 people. The parish is south of the North Downs, ten miles west of Sevenoaks. It covers 5800 acres . It is recorded as early as the 9th century, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book in a...
, Kent.
Education and military career
Astor was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
before serving with the Life Guards
Life Guards (British Army)
The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
(the senior regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, part of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment is a ceremonial cavalry regiment of the British Army. It is classed as a regiment of guards, and carries out mounted ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. These include the provision of the Sovereign's Escort, most commonly seen at the present...
) from 1966 until 1970, where he visited Malaysia, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
as well as ceremonial duties in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
He worked in France for 11 years, and is now patron of the Conservatives in Paris.
Political career
In 1994, Lord Astor of Hever was a British Parliamentary Observer in Johannesburg during the South African General Election. He was a member of the Executive, Association of Conservative Peers from 1996-1998. In 1999 he was elected to the House of Lords.From 1998-2001, he served as an Opposition Spokesman on Social Security and Health from 1998-2003. From 2001, he has been an Opposition Spokesman for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, and International Development, and from 2003 to 2010, Opposition Spokesman for Defence. He is, as of May 2010, a Lord in Waiting.
He is Former Hon Vice Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council
Conservative Middle East Council
The Conservative Middle East Council exists in order to raise awareness and understanding of the Middle East among Conservative Parliamentarians and in the wider Conservative Party...
In 1995 he piloted through the House of Lords the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act and in 1996 the Trading Schemes Act.
Patronage/community
Astor is a Deputy LieutenantDeputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. He is also president of the Durand Group (WWI Research) and the Westerham Branch of the Royal British Legion and trustee of the Astor of Hever Trust. He is a former patron of the Edenbridge and District Rifle Club, the League of Friends of Edenbridge Hospital, the Durand Group, the Kent Youth Association, the Bridge Trust, the Aquarian Opera, the Edenbridge Music & Arts Trust, and the Worldwide Volunteering for Young People. Astor was formerly president of the Motorsport Industry Association
Motorsport Industry Association
The Motorsport Industry Association is the trade association for the motorsport industry in the United Kingdom. Most top-level motorsport constructors are based in the UK. Around 75% of motorsport research and development takes place in the UK.-History:...
, the Earl Haig
Earl Haig
Earl Haig is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. During the World War I, he was Commander of the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium...
branch of the Royal British Legion, the Eden Valley Museum, and the Kent County Royal British Legion. He was also president of RoSPA and Chairman of St John, Kent, in the Kent Committee of the Country Land and Business Association from 1987 to 1997.
See also
- Astor familyAstor familyThe Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
- Baron#The British Isles
- House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
- Conservative Party (UK)Conservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
External links
- Lord Astor on the Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
's website