William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor
William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor ( born March 31, 1848 in New York City; † October 18, 1919 in Brighton, England ) was an American- British financier and politician. The middle name derives from the town of Walldorf, the origin of the Astor family.
United States
William Waldorf was the only child of John Jacob Astor III, one of the richest men in the United States of his time. He was brought up in Germany (University of Göttingen ) and Italy, and later studied at the Law School of Columbia University.
He then worked as a lawyer and in the management of his father's company. In 1878 he married Mary Dahlgren Paul ( 1858-1894 ), with whom he had five children. After his marriage he became a politician and sat for the Republican Party in succession in the House of Representatives and the Senate of the State of New York. His attempts to be elected to the Congress of the United States, but failed.
1881-1885 he served as United States Ambassador in Rome. 1890 his father died and bequeathed his entire fortune William Astor, so that he became one of the richest men in the United States. In the same year he began planning for the construction of a hotel instead of his former apartment building in the middle of New York. The on March 4, 1893 13-story Waldorf Hotel corner of 5th Street Avenue/33rd joined a few years later with the adjacent, by his cousin, John Jacob Astor IV ( 1864-1912 ) on November 1, 1897, inaugurated a 16-storey Astoria hotel together for the Waldorf-Astoria. Both were demolished in 1929 to make the Empire State Building ( 350 Fifth Ave. ) Space. As early as 1925 had sold both hotels for a total of $ 15 million, the Astor heirs. 1931, the new Waldorf -Astoria was built (301 Park Ave. ).
United Kingdom
After violent disputes with his aunt Caroline Schermerhorn Astor William Astor emigrated as early as next year with his family from the United Kingdom. In 1899 he was naturalized there.
He rented Lansdowne House in London first before 1893 the large country estate at Cliveden Taplow of Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster bought. 1903 Astor finally bought Hever Castle, in whose restoration he invested a lot of money and time. He gave his son Waldorf Astor in 1906 Cliveden ( 1879-1952 ) on the occasion of his marriage to Nancy Langhorne ( 1879-1964 ), the first woman in the British Parliament ( 1919-1945 ). Astor's youngest son, John Jacob Astor V. (1886-1971), who was ennobled in 1956 as Baron Astor of Hever, Hever Castle was the occasion of his marriage in 1916 to Lady Violet Mary Elliot - Murray - Kynynmound.
Astor became involved in thoroughbred breeding, his horses won a number of big races in the UK. Next he had literary interests; he published two novels and several short stories. He used his great wealth to a considerable extent for charitable purposes, particularly during the First World War. Thus, a hospital of the Canadian Red Cross was erected on the grounds of Cliveden.
For this reason Astor in 1916 was recorded as Baron Astor of Hever Castle in the hereditary nobility and raised a year later created Viscount Astor of Hever Castle. He died in 1919 in Brighton; the title went over to his eldest son Waldorf Astor.