Astor, John Jacob
Astor, John Jacob (1763–1848) US financier, b. Germany. Astor founded the
American Fur Company in 1808 and, after 1812, acquired a virtual monopoly of the US fur trade. In the 1830s he concentrated on land investment and became the wealthiest man in the USA. His great-great-grandson, Viscount William Waldorf Astor (1879–1952), was married to Nancy
Astor. Viscount Astor was owner of the
Observer newspaper and his brother, John Jacob (1886–1971), 1st Baron Astor of Hever, was owner (1922–66) of
The Times.
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William Backhouse Astor
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
...sportsman, b. New York City. The son of William Backhouse Astor (1792-1875), he was a retiring man...McAlister, she became famous as the Mrs. Astor of modern folklore, queen of New York...Hundred. Their son was John Jacob Astor (1864-1912).
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John Jacob Astor
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
1864-1912, American financier, b. Rhinebeck, N. Y.; son of William Backhouse Astor (1829-92). He served in the Spanish-American War...Vincent, the son of his first marriage, and John Jacob Astor, fifth of the name in America, the son of his second...
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