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Baron John Jacob Astor, V

Baron John Jacob Astor, V

Male 1886 - 1971  (84 years)    Has more than 100 ancestors and 46 descendants in this family tree.

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  • Name John Jacob Astor 
    Prefix Baron 
    Suffix
    Birth 20 May 1886 
    Gender Male 
    Death 1971 
    Siblings 4 Siblings 
    Person ID I364018  Geneagraphie
    Last Modified 26 Apr 2003 

    Father William Waldorf Astor,   b. 31 Mar 1848, New York, New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 18 Oct 1919 (Age 71 years) 
    Mother Mary Dahlgren Paul,   b. 1858   d. 22 Dec 1894 (Age 36 years) 
    Marriage 6 Jun 1878 
    Family ID F63380  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Violet Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound,   b. 28 May 1889   d. 1965 (Age 75 years) 
    Marriage 28 Aug 1916 
    Children 
    +1. Baron Gavin Astor,   b. 1 Jun 1918   d. 1984 (Age 65 years)
    +2. Living
    +3. John Astor,   b. 26 Sep 1923   d. 1987 (Age 63 years)
    Family ID F144281  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 21 Jan 2002 

  • Notes 
    • 1st Baron Astor of Hever in 1956

      dropped the Jacob to have his name sound more British

      Got Hever Castle from his father and thereby created the Hever branch of the English Astor family. Like his older brother educated at Eton and Oxford, John Astor lived the life of a typical English gentleman, distinguishing himself in Worl War I and being a member of Parliament for 23 years. Like his father, he acquired a newspaper, but this time it was the London Times, Britain's most prestigious paper. This made the Astors press lords, in the same league as the Beaverbrooks, or the Hearsts and Pulitzers in America. The Times stayed in the Astor family until 1966, when it was merged with the Sunday Times and majority was transferred to the Thomson Group.
      Unlike the Astors of previous generations, the English Astors were decidedly philantropic. John Astor's main recipient was the Middlesex Hospital. For his dedication to journalism and medicine, John Astor was made a Baron in 1956, as Lord Astor of Hever and Lord Lieutenant representing the Royal Family. Thus the Astors got their second English title in two generations. The Astors were thus decidedly British and dedicated to the British Crown. But their patriotism was still bounded by their efforts to saveguard their inherited wealth. When the British tax laws changed in 1962 and real estate owned outside Britain became subject to the prohibitive British inheritance taxes, Baron Astor of Hever expatriated himself to France. His sister Pauline did likewise and took residence on Guernsey, a tax haven. Hever Castle was made a commercial enterprise with the castle open to public visits and the fishing and shooting rights being rented out.



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