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Quick Facts
- NAME: John Jacob Astor IV
- OCCUPATION: Entrepreneur
- BIRTH DATE: July 13, 1864
- DEATH DATE: April 15, 1912
- EDUCATION: Harvard University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Rhinebeck, New York
- Full Name: John Jacob Astor IV
- AKA: Jack Astor
- AKA: John Jacob Astor
Best Known For
Financier John Jacob Astor IV was the great-grandson of John Jacob Astor. He helped build the Waldorf-Astoria hotel and died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
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The Astors - Full Biography (44:55)
The Astors - Full Biography
Few families in American history have sustained a place for so long in the public eye as the Astors have. For over two hundred years the Astor name has been synonymous with New York high society.
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Play NowJohn Jacob Astor IV. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 01:46, May 25, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/john-jacob-astor-iv-9191170.
John Jacob Astor IV. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-jacob-astor-iv-9191170 [Accessed 25 May 2013].
"John Jacob Astor IV." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 25 2013, 01:46 http://www.biography.com/people/john-jacob-astor-iv-9191170.
"John Jacob Astor IV," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/john-jacob-astor-iv-9191170 [accessed May 25, 2013].
"John Jacob Astor IV," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/john-jacob-astor-iv-9191170 (accessed May 25, 2013).
John Jacob Astor IV [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 25] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-jacob-astor-iv-9191170.
John Jacob Astor IV, http://www.biography.com/people/john-jacob-astor-iv-9191170 (last visited May 25, 2013).
John Jacob Astor IV. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/john-jacob-astor-iv-9191170. Accessed May 25, 2013.
Synopsis
John Jacob Astor IV was born on July 13, 1864, in Rhinebeck, New York. He became active in real estate development, building the Astoria section of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1897. He built several other notable New York City hotels, including the St. Regis, which some have said was his greatest achievement. Astor drowned in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.
Early Life and Career
Financier, soldier and inventor John Jacob Astor IV was born on July 13, 1864, in Rhinebeck, New York. The great-grandson of John Jacob Astor, he grew up in a rich, influential family. Known as Jack, he attended Harvard University and later managed the family estate. He became active in real estate development, building the Astoria section of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1897. Astor built several other notable New York City hotels, including the St. Regis, which some have said was his greatest achievement.
Writer and Inventor
Outside of the family business, Astor had many other interests. He tried his hand at being a writer in 1890s and authored an 1894 science-fiction novel called Journey in Other Worlds. Astor also enjoyed inventing things. He designed a bicycle brake and an improved turbine engine. When the Spanish-American War began in 1898, Astor offered his yacht, the Nourmahal, to the U.S. Navy to help in the war effort. He also served in the U.S. Army during this conflict.
Astor's first marriage to Ava Lowle Willing was reportedly an unhappy one. The couple married in 1891 and had two children: Vincent and Alice. They divorced in 1909. He remarried in 1911 to Madeleine Talmage Force, who was 30 years younger than Astor. The couple went on holiday to Europe for a time and made the fateful decision to return the United States on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic in April 1912.
Titanic Sinking
Tragedy struck when the Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912. Sadly, there weren't enough lifeboats for all of the ship's passengers. Astor made sure his pregnant wife got on one of the boats, said goodbye to her, and stood on the deck of the ship as it began to sink. Astor drowned in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912. In tribute to Astor, his wife, Madeleine Force Astor, named their son John Jacob.
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Titanic Passengers
View groupOn April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, carrying 2,207 passengers en route to New York. Unfortunately, the ship never made it to its final destination. After on colliding with an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912, the ship sank in only a few hours.
From "the Unsinkable Molly Brown to the discovery of "the Unknown Child," explore some of the extraordinary stories of survival and tragedy—and view photos and videos—of those who boarded the Titanic.
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The Astor Family
View groupFew families in American history have sustained a place for so long in the public eye as the Astors have. For more than 200 years, the Astor name has been synonymous with New York high society. The family's fortune began to grow after John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant, founded the American Fur Company in 1808. Learn more about John Jacob and his descendants, including William Backhouse, William Waldorf, John Jacob IV and John Jacob V, as well as Brooke and Madeleine Force Astor—who scored their own fortunes by marrying into the Astor family—only at Biography.com.
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Famous Cancerians 556 people in this group
