Astor family

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Astor

Ethnicity	German
Current region	United States East Coast United Kingdom

Information

Place of origin

Walldorf, Germany

Notable members

John Jacob Astor

The Astor family is a significant Anglo-American business, social, and political family of German descent. John Jacob Astor and his wife Sarah Todd came to the United States from Walldorf, Germany in the late 18^th century and during the 19th century became the wealthiest family in the United States. Towards the end of that century, a branch moved to England and achieved great prominence there. As the 20th century wore on the family fortunes declined, but their legacy lives on in their many public works including the New York Public Library, and members of the British branch hold two hereditary peerages, a viscountcy and a barony. John Jacob Astor's brother also immigrated to America. Henry Astor, a horse racing enthusiast, purchased a thoroughbred named Messenger who had been brought from England in 1788. The horse became the founding sire of all Standardbred horses in the United States today. Beyond the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the Astor family name is imprinted in a great deal of United States history and geography. There is a town of Astor in the states of Florida, Georgia, Iowa, and Kansas and there are Astorias in Illinois, Missouri, New York, and Oregon. There is an Astor Park in Florida and an Astor Court and Astor Place in New York City, Chicago and a large number of town and city thoroughfares bearing the family name. The New York City neighborhood of Astoria, Queens is named after the family as well. A number of Astor family members are buried in Trinity Church Cemetery in Manhattan, New York. The Astors were also prominent on Mackinac Island, Michigan. at Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island), there is the Lord Astor Suite, the Lady Astor suite and the hotel salon is called Astors.

Relatives

Listed By Ancestry/Generation: John Jacob Astor (1763-1848), married Sarah Todd

Magdalena Astor (1788-1832) - John Bristed (1778-1855)
1. Charles Astor Bristed (1820-1874)
John Jacob Astor II (1791-1869)
William Backhouse Astor, Sr. (1792-1875)
1. Emily Astor (1819-1841), married Samuel Ward Jr (1814-1884), financier, lobbyist, author.
  1. Margaret Astor Ward (1838-1875), married 1856 John Winthrop Chanler (1826-1877), New York Congressman. Their children are collectively referred to as the Astor Orphans.
    1. John Armstrong Chanler (1862-1935)
    2. Winthrop Astor Chanler (1863-1926)
    3. Emily Astor Chanler (1864-1872)
    4. Elizabeth Astor Winthrop Chanler (1866-1937)
    5. William Astor Chanler (1867-1934), United States Congressman
    6. Marion Ward Chanler (1868-1883)
    7. Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler, (1869-1942), New York Congressman
      1. Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler, Jr. (1891-1963)
      2. Alida Chanler (1894-1983)
      3. William Chamberlain Chanler (1895-1981)
    8. Margaret Livingston Chanler, (1870-1963)
    9. Robert Winthrop Chanler, (1872-1930), artist
    10. Alida Beekman Chanler, (1873-1969)
2. John Jacob Astor III (1822-1890) 1st son of William
  1. William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (1848-1919)
    1. William Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (1879-1952)
      1. William Waldorf Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor (1907-1966)
        
        William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor (born 1951) (from 1st marriage)
        
        Emily Astor (from 2nd marriage)
        
        Janet Elizabeth Astor (born 1961) (from 3rd marriage)
        
        Pauline Marian Astor (from 3rd marriage)
      2. Nancy Phyllis Louise Astor (1909-1975)
      3. Francis David Langhorne Astor (1912-2001)
      4. Michael Langhorne Astor (1916-1980)
      5. John Jacob Astor (1918-2000)
    2. Pauline Astor (1880-1972)
    3. John Rudolph Astor (1881-1881)
    4. John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever (1886-1971)
      1. Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever (1918-1984)
        
        John Jacob Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever (born 1946)
        
        Hon. Bridget Mary Astor (b. 1948)
        
        Hon. Elizabeth Louise Astor (b. 1951)
        
        Hon. Sarah Violet Astor (b. 1953)
        
        Hon. Philip Douglas Paul Astor (b. 1959)
      2. Hugh Waldorf Astor (1920-1999)
      3. John Astor MP (1923–1987)
        
        Elizabeth Kathleen Astor (born 1951)
        
        John Richard Astor (born 1953)
        
        George David Astor (born 1958)
3. William Backhouse Astor, Jr. (1830-1892) 2nd son of William
  1. Emily Astor (1854-1881)
  2. Helen Schermerhorn Astor (1855-1893)
  3. Charlotte Augusta Astor (1858-1920)
  4. Caroline Schermerhorn Astor (1861-1948)
  5. John Jacob Astor IV (1864-1912)
    1. William Vincent Astor (1891-1959) son by 1st wife
    2. Ava Alice Muriel Astor (1902–1956) daughter by 1st wife
    3. John Jacob Astor VI (1912-1992) son by 2nd wife
      1. Mary Jacqueline Astor (from 1st marriage)
      2. William Backhouse Astor III (born 1935) (from 2nd marriage)

Mercedes Astor (born 1961) would marry actor and millionaire, John Bouvier Slatton. They would divorce in 2000, leaving a step son, Nicholas W. Inman of Missouri. Astor would retain her maiden name through marriage, until her death from breast cancer in 2006. Dieter Astor, city architect of Walldorf, Germany