William Backhouse Astor

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William Backhouse Astor

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

William Backhouse Astor 1792-1875, American financier, b. New York City; son of John Jacob Astor (1763-1848). Educated in Germany, he was associated with his father in business after 1818. Later called the landlord of New York, he also inherited money from his uncle Henry Astor and left an immense fortune.

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William Backhouse Astor

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

William Backhouse Astor 1829-92, American financier and sportsman, b. New York City. The son of William Backhouse Astor (1792-1875), he was a retiring man, notable principally for his wealth and for his marriage to Caroline Schermerhorn. With the assistance of Ward McAlister, she became famous as the Mrs. Astor of modern folklore, queen of New York City society's legendary Four Hundred. Their son was John Jacob Astor (1864-1912).

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article Ribbon cut on revamping of Astor Row in Harlem. (renovation complete on landmark rowhouses in Harlem, New York, New York)
Magazine article from: Real Estate Weekly; 10/28/1992

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

Golden years: historian Eric Homberger investigates the beginnings of New York society and the original Mrs. Astor. (Social Flash).
Magazine article from: W; 11/1/2002; ; 700+ words ; ...ascendancy of Mrs. William Backhouse Astor Jr., nee Caroline...When Caroline wed William in 1853 in Grace...husband drop the Backhouse and the Jr...regally, as Mrs. Astor, which didn...with the wife of William's older brother...
Astor's Beechwood in Newport for sale -- for $16 million.
Newspaper article from: Providence Journal (Providence, RI); 8/15/2007; 700+ words ; ...was once the summer home of the illustrious Astor family and which has been described as the...was built in 1851. It was sold in 1881 to William Backhouse Astor Jr., grandson of John Jacob Astor and heir to the family's real estate fortune...
Ribbon cut on revamping of Astor Row in Harlem. (renovation complete on landmark rowhouses in Harlem, New York, New York)
Magazine article from: Real Estate Weekly; 10/28/1992; 700+ words ; Mrs. Vincent (Brooke) Astor and Mayor David N. Dinkins cut...in the heart of Harlem known as Astor Row. This is the first phase of...Commission, were developed by William Backhouse Astor in the 1880's. To date, over...
R.I. mansion for sale; all you need is $16m
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 8/20/2007; ; 700+ words ; ...the history to life by playing Astor family guests or servants...Newlyweds Caroline Schermerhorn and William Backhouse Astor Jr., heir to the family real...on Lila Delman's website. William Backhouse Astor Jr. was the grandson of German...
A Newport state of mind ; A manse that dates back to the dawn of the city's gilded era is for sale at $10.7m
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 1/6/2008; ; 700+ words ; ...profile as its gilded-era provenance. Mary Astor was the daughter of William Backhouse Astor, a son of John Jacob Astor who turned...Schermerhorn, a New York socialite who married William Backhouse Astor Jr. Having devised the famous "400...
Benevolent society matron
Newspaper article from: Western Morning News, The Plymouth (UK); 8/16/2007; 480 words ; ...unfortunate, has died of pneumonia, aged 105. Mrs Astor's image as a benevolent society matron was...who were ruled over by a grandmother of Mrs Astor's by marriage, Mrs William Backhouse Astor. But it was a changing social order that Brooke...
Social science. (Letter From the Editors).
Magazine article from: W; 11/1/2002; 700+ words ; ...particular, to the legendary Mrs. Astor. It was McAllister who "leaked...t give interviews." And Mrs. Astor did indeed see herself as royalty...fact, married down when she wed William Backhouse Astor Jr. in a classic match of old...
NAMES
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 8/16/2007; ; 700+ words ; ...served as the summer court of the Astor family can be yours for a cool...was built in 1851 and sold to William Backhouse Astor Jr., grandson of John Jacob...t be reached for comment.) William's wife, Caroline Astor, hired...
Having a ball, the finest 400; ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDANTS.
Newspaper article from: The Daily Mail (London, England); 7/9/2005; 633 words ; ...exclusivity. Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor (1830-1908) was the wife of railroad millionaire William Backhouse Astor Jr, and preferred to be known simply as Mrs Astor. She achieved her desire to be the unchallenged...
The Dark Side of Night-- A Grim Gotham Nocturne.(Culture)
Newspaper article from: The New York Observer (New York, NY); 10/10/2005; 700+ words ; ...thought, would escort me to Mrs. William Backhouse Astor's famous gilded balls for the...life and citing the diary of one William Dunlap, who lived in Greenwich...low were about to clash at the Astor Place Opera House in 1849...

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