William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor
Encyclopedia
William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (31 March 1848 – 18 October 1919) was a very wealthy American
who became a British
nobleman. He was a member of the prominent Astor family
.
, the only child of John Jacob Astor III
(1822–1890) and Charlotte Augusta Gibbes (c. 1825-1887). He was educated in Germany
and in Italy
before studying at Columbia Law School
. He was called to the United States Bar in 1875, and worked shortly in law practice and in the management of his father's estate. In 1878, he married Mary Dahlgren Paul (1858–1894).
He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1877, and to the Senate in 1879 where he served until 1881. Astor was likely elected with help from the boss of the New York State Republican machine, notorious Roscoe Conkling
, with whom his family was involved. In 1881, Astor was defeated by Roswell P. Flower
as a candidate for United States Congress
. A second attempt at the seat also resulted in defeat. In 1882, President Chester A. Arthur
appointed Astor Minister
to Italy
, a post he held until 1885. ("Go and enjoy yourself, my dear boy," the president told Astor.) While living in Rome
, Astor developed a life-long passion for art and sculpture.
Upon the death of his father in early 1890, Astor inherited a personal fortune that made him the richest man in America. Also in 1890, he began construction of the luxurious Waldorf Hotel on the site of his former residence. (His cousin, John Jacob Astor IV
built the adjoining Astoria Hotel in 1897, and the complex then became the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
. William, though the owner, visited it only once in his lifetime.)
in 1891 over matters of standing in high society, Astor moved to Great Britain with his family. He rented Lansdowne House
in London
until 1893, when he purchased a country estate at Cliveden-on-Thames
in Taplow
, Buckinghamshire
from the Duke of Westminster.
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 was soon discovered, leading to Astor being mocked in the press.
Astor made several business acquisitions while living in London. In 1892, he purchased the Pall Mall Gazette
, and in 1893 established the Pall Mall Magazine. In 1911, he acquired The Observer
. 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 Hever Castle
near Edenbridge
, Kent
about 30 miles south of London. The huge estate, built in 1270 was where Anne Boleyn
lived as a child. William Waldorf Astor invested a great deal of time and money to restore the castle, building what is known as the "Tudor Village" and creating a lake and lavish gardens. In 1905 he gave his son William Waldorf Astor II
and his new daughter-in-law, the former Nancy Langhorne, the Cliveden estate as a wedding present.
In 1908, he opened the Waldorf Hotel
in London's West End, seeking to establish an American-style hotel in the UK.
(to which he gave $250,000 in 1903); University College, London; 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; the Soldier and Sailors' Families Association; and the Women's Memorial to Queen Victoria. His gifts to the 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 Society; $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.
Such gifts were often honored by the grant of a title of nobility to the benefactor. On 1 January 1916, he was offered and accepted a peerage
of the United Kingdom under the title of Baron
Astor of Hever Castle in the County of Kent. On 3 June 1917, Baron Astor was elevated to the rank of Viscount
. The creation was controversial; it was felt by many that it represented a rich American buying his way into the British aristocracy.
in the lavatory of his Brighton
, Sussex
, England
home. His ashes were buried under the marble floor of the chapel at Cliveden.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who became 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...
nobleman. He was a member of the prominent Astor family
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
.
Life in United States
William Astor was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the only child of John Jacob Astor III
John Jacob Astor III
John Jacob Astor III was the elder son of William Backhouse Astor, Sr. and the wealthiest member of the Astor family in his generation...
(1822–1890) and Charlotte Augusta Gibbes (c. 1825-1887). He was educated in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
before studying at Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
. He was called to the United States Bar in 1875, and worked shortly in law practice and in the management of his father's estate. In 1878, he married Mary Dahlgren Paul (1858–1894).
He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1877, and to the Senate in 1879 where he served until 1881. Astor was likely elected with help from the boss of the New York State Republican machine, notorious Roscoe Conkling
Roscoe Conkling
Roscoe Conkling was a politician from New York who served both as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. He was the leader of the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party and the last person to refuse a U.S. Supreme Court appointment after he had...
, with whom his family was involved. In 1881, Astor was defeated by Roswell P. Flower
Roswell P. Flower
Roswell Pettibone Flower was Governor of New York from 1892 to 1894.-Biography:He was a son of Nathan Monroe Flower and Mary Ann Flower, the sixth of nine children....
as a candidate for United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. A second attempt at the seat also resulted in defeat. In 1882, President Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
appointed Astor Minister
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, a post he held until 1885. ("Go and enjoy yourself, my dear boy," the president told Astor.) While living in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Astor developed a life-long passion for art and sculpture.
Upon the death of his father in early 1890, Astor inherited a personal fortune that made him the richest man in America. Also in 1890, he began construction of the luxurious Waldorf Hotel on the site of his former residence. (His cousin, John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War and a member of the prominent Astor family...
built the adjoining Astoria Hotel in 1897, and the complex then became the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
. William, though the owner, visited it only once in his lifetime.)
Move to Great Britain
In response to a family feud which developed with his aunt Caroline Webster Schermerhorn AstorCaroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor
Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor was a prominent American socialite of the last quarter of the 19th century. Famous for being referred to later in life as "the Mrs. Astor" or simply "Mrs. Astor", she was the wife of real estate heir William Backhouse Astor Jr...
in 1891 over matters of standing in high society, Astor moved to Great Britain with his family. He rented Lansdowne House
Lansdowne House
Lansdowne House is a building to the southwest of Berkeley Square in central London, England. It was designed by Robert Adam as a private house and for most of its time as a residence it belonged to the Petty family, Marquesses of Lansdowne. Since 1935, it has been the home of the Lansdowne Club....
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...
until 1893, when he purchased a country estate at Cliveden-on-Thames
Cliveden
Cliveden is an Italianate mansion and estate at Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. Set on banks above the River Thames, its grounds slope down to the river. The site has been home to an Earl, two Dukes, a Prince of Wales and the Viscounts Astor....
in Taplow
Taplow
Taplow is a village and civil parish within South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the east bank of the River Thames facing Maidenhead on the opposite bank. Taplow railway station is situated near the A4 south of the village....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
from the Duke of Westminster.
In the summer of 1892, Astor faked his own death
Faked death
A faked death occurs when an individual leaves evidence to suggest that he or she is dead in order to mislead others. This may be done for a variety of reasons, such as to fraudulently collect insurance money or avoid capture by law enforcement for some other crime.People who fake their own deaths...
by having his staff report to American reporters that he had died, apparently from pneumonia. However, the ruse was soon discovered, leading to Astor being mocked in the press.
Astor made several business acquisitions while living in London. In 1892, he purchased the Pall Mall Gazette
Pall Mall Gazette
The Pall Mall Gazette was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood...
, and in 1893 established the Pall Mall Magazine. In 1911, he acquired The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
. 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
Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor
Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor was an American-born British politician and newspaper proprietor.-Early life:...
.
In 1903 he acquired Hever Castle
Hever Castle
Hever Castle is located in the village of Hever near Edenbridge, Kent, south-east of London, England. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century...
near Edenbridge
Edenbridge, Kent
Edenbridge is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The town's name derives from Old English language "Eadhelmsbrigge" . It is located on the Kent/Surrey border on the upper floodplain of the River Medway and gives its name to the latter's tributary, the River Eden...
, 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...
about 30 miles south of London. The huge estate, built in 1270 was where Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
lived as a child. William Waldorf Astor invested a great deal of time and money to restore the castle, building what is known as the "Tudor Village" and creating a lake and lavish gardens. In 1905 he gave his son William Waldorf Astor II
Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor
Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor was an American-born British politician and newspaper proprietor.-Early life:...
and his new daughter-in-law, the former Nancy Langhorne, the Cliveden estate as a wedding present.
In 1908, he opened the Waldorf Hotel
Waldorf Hilton
The Waldorf Hotel, now known as the Waldorf Hilton, is a hotel based in The Aldwych, London. It has a history dating back to 1908. It was founded by William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor, part of the Astor family....
in London's West End, seeking to establish an American-style hotel in the UK.
Philanthropy and peerage
Astor, having become a British subject in 1899, became interested in gaining British social distinction. Among the charities benefited by his gifts were The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond StreetGreat Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children is a children's hospital located in London, United Kingdom...
(to which he gave $250,000 in 1903); University College, London; the Cancer Research Fund; Oxford University; Cambridge University; the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children; the British Red Cross Society
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom branch of the worldwide impartial humanitarian organisation the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with over 31,000 volunteers and 2,600 staff. At the heart of their work...
; Gordon Memorial College
Gordon Memorial College
Gordon Memorial College is an educational institution in Sudan. It was built between 1899 and 1902 as part of Lord Kitchener's wide-ranging educational reforms....
, Khartoum; the Soldier and Sailors' Families Association; and the Women's Memorial to Queen Victoria. His gifts to the 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 Society; $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.
Such gifts were often honored by the grant of a title of nobility to the benefactor. On 1 January 1916, he was offered and accepted a peerage
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...
of the United Kingdom under the title of Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Astor of Hever Castle in the County of Kent. On 3 June 1917, Baron Astor was elevated to the rank of Viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
. The creation was controversial; it was felt by many that it represented a rich American buying his way into the British aristocracy.
Death
He died of congestive heart failureCongestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
in the lavatory of his Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
home. His ashes were buried under the marble floor of the chapel at Cliveden.
Children
- Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount AstorWaldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount AstorWaldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor was an American-born British politician and newspaper proprietor.-Early life:...
(1879–1952), married Nancy LanghorneNancy Astor, Viscountess AstorNancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor, CH, was the first woman to sit as a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons.Constance Markievicz was the first woman elected to the House of Commons in December 1918 after running for the Sinn Féin party in 1918 General Election, but in line...
(1879–1964) in 1906. His first marriage in 1897 ended in divorce 1903. - Pauline (1880–1972), married on 29 October 1904, Herbert Henry Spender Clay (1875–1937). They had three children. They had three daughters:- The eldest, Phyllis Mary, was born on 4 October 1905, and married 6 February 1932 Sir Philp Bouverie Bowyer Nichols, KCMG MC. Their second daughter Rachel Pauline (1907-?) married the Hon. David Bowes-LyonBowes-LyonBowes-Lyon is a Scottish family; see the following articles for more information, including information on individual members:*Baron Bowes*Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne*Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne*Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon*Gibside...
(1902–1961), the youngest son of 14th Earl of Strathmore, and brother of H.M. Queen Elizabeth the Queen MotherQueen motherQueen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
. Their third daughter Gwendolyn died aged 1. - John Rudolph (1881–1881), no issue
- John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of HeverJohn Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of HeverLieutenant-Colonel John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever DL was a British military officer, statesman, a newspaper proprietor, and a member of the prominent Astor family...
(1886–1971) married Lady Violet Mary Elliot [of the earls of Minto] (1889–1965) in 1916. They had 3 sons. - Gwendolyn Enid (1889–1902), no issue