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Madeleine Force Astor married 47-year-old John Jacob Astor in her late teens. The marriage was cut short when he died in the sinking of the 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 NowMadeleine Astor. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:47, Jun 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/madeleine-force-astor-283808.
Madeleine Astor. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/madeleine-force-astor-283808 [Accessed 20 Jun 2013].
"Madeleine Astor." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 20 2013, 07:47 http://www.biography.com/people/madeleine-force-astor-283808.
"Madeleine Astor," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/madeleine-force-astor-283808 [accessed Jun 20, 2013].
"Madeleine Astor," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/madeleine-force-astor-283808 (accessed Jun 20, 2013).
Madeleine Astor [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/madeleine-force-astor-283808.
Madeleine Astor, http://www.biography.com/people/madeleine-force-astor-283808 (last visited Jun 20, 2013).
Madeleine Astor. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/madeleine-force-astor-283808. Accessed Jun 20, 2013.
Synopsis
Madeleine Force Astor was born on June 19, 1893, in New York, New York. She married 47 year-old Colonel John Jacob Astor when she was 19. Their marriage made a public stir and they traveled abroad for their honeymoon. On their voyage home, John Jacob Asto
Contents
Early Life
Second wife of Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, socialite. Born Madeleine Talmadge Force on June 19, 1893, in New York, New York. Only in her late teens at the time, Madeleine Astor made quite a stir as the second wife of Colonel John Jacob Astor. The union was short-lived as the couple was torn apart by the Titanic disaster of 1912.
Madeleine’s mother had hoped that she would marry well. To that end, she attended elite private schools for girls and learned to play tennis. During a visit to Bar Harbor, Maine, in 1910, she met John Jacob Astor IV, part of the legendary New York family. In his forties and recently divorced, John Jacob Astor took a liking to the young schoolgirl. That same year, Madeleine was formally introduced to society at her debut event in December. In addition to attending social events, she also involved with amateur theatrical productions.
The following year, Madeleine’s father announced the engagement of his daughter to John Jacob Astor, which was not warmly received by some. There were concerns about their age difference—John Jacob was 47 and Madeleine was 19 at the time of their engagement. Class status also proved to be an issue. The Astor family was part of the well-established “old money” set while William H. Force was the head of a Brooklyn-based shipping and forwarding firm.
The couple faced many obstacles while trying to wed. According to the terms of his divorce, they could not marry in New York. Then the couple had difficulty locating a minister who would officiate. Finally, after offering $1,000 as a fee, John Jacob Astor got a pastor to perform the ceremony. The wedding took place at Beechwood, an Astor summer home, in Newport, Rhode Island, on September 9, 1911. After the ceremony, the newlywed Astors left on the steam yacht Noma.
The Titanic Disaster
To escape all of publicity surrounding their nuptials, the Astors went abroad for their honeymoon. They spent time in Egypt and Europe. With Madeleine pregnant with their first child, the couple decided to return to New York on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. They boarded the ship in Cherbourg, France, on April 10, with some of their servants and their dog, Kitty.
On the night of April 14, around 11:40 p.m., the Astors were in their suite of rooms when the Titanic struck an iceberg. After investigating the incident, John Jacob Astor had his wife get dressed and join other passengers waiting to get off the sinking vessel. Then he saw to it that Madeleine got on one of the lifeboats and then he helped other women and children get aboard. One of the world’s richest men stayed behind and met his end when the Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15.
Madeleine Astor and the other survivors on Lifeboat 4 were rescued and taken aboard the Carpathia.
profile name: Madeleine Force Astor profile occupation:
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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.
Titanic Passengers 28 people in this group
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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.
The Astor Family 9 people in this group
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Famous Geminis 530 people in this group
