ASTOR, JOHN JACOB American merchant, was born at the village of Walldorf, near Heidelberg, Germany, on July 17, 1763. For four years he was employed in the piano and flute factory of an uncle, of the firm Astor and Broadwood, London. In 1783 he emigrated to America, and settled in New York. On the voyage he became acquainted with a fur-trader, by whose advice he devoted himself to the same business. He was also the agent in New York of the firm of Astor and Broadwood. By his energy, industry, and business judgment he amassed an enormous f ortune—the largest up to that time made by any American. He devoted many years to organizing the fur trade from the Great Lakes to the Pacific ocean, and thence by way of the Hawaiian islands to China and India. In 1811 he founded a central depot, Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia river, but two years later the settlement was seized by the English. The incidents of this undertaking are the theme of Washington Irving's Astoria. A series of disasters frustrated the gigantic scheme. Astor made vast additions to his wealth by investments in real estate in New York city. He died in New York city on March 29, 1848, his fortune then being estimated at about $30,000,000. He made various charitable bequests by his will, his chief benefaction being a bequest for the foundation and endowment of a public library in New York city, now a part of the New York public library.
His eldest son, WILLIAM BACKHOUSE ASTOR (1792-1875) was sometimes known as the "Landlord of New York." Under his direction the building for the Astor library was erected. His son, JOHN JACOB ASTOR (1822-1890) was also well known as a capi talist and philanthropist.
The son of the last named, WILLIAM WALDORF ASTOR (1848– 1919) served in the New York legislature from 1877 to 1881. He was United States minister to Italy from 1882 to 1885. He published two romances, Valentine (1885) and Sforza (1889). In 1890 he removed to England, and in 1899 was naturalized. In 1893 he became proprietor of the Pall Mall Gazette, and after wards started the Pall Mall Magazine, and in 1916 was created a peer, assuming the title of Baron Astor of Hever Castle. He was made a viscount in 1917, and died in England Oct. 18, 1919.