John Jacob Astor (July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848), born Johann Jakob Astor,^[4] was a German-American business magnate, merchant and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States. He was the creator of the first trust in America.

He went to the United States following the American Revolutionary War and built a fur-trading empire that extended to the Great Lakes region and Canada, and later expanded into the American West and Pacific coast. He also got involved in smuggling opium. In the early 19th century he diversified into New York City real estate and later became a famed patron of the arts.

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Astor Bloodline

Listed By Ancestry/Generation:

John Jacob Astor (1763–1848), married Sarah Todd

1. Magdalena Astor (1788–1832), married 1st 1807, Adrian Bentzon; married 2nd 1820, John Bristed (1778–1855)
   1. Charles Astor Bristed (1820–1874)
2. John Jacob Astor II (1791–1869)
3. William Backhouse Astor, Sr. (1792–1875), married Margaret Rebecca Armstrong (1800–1872), the daughter of United States Secretary of War and Senator John Armstrong, Jr..
   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.^[3]
         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
            1. William Astor Chanler, Jr. (1904–2002)
            2. Sydney Ashley Chanler (1907–1994) married 1934 Princess Maria Antonia of Braganza (1903–1973)
         6. Marion Ward Chanler (1868–1883), died of a surfeit of Turkish Delight
         7. Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler (1869–1942), New York Congressman
         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, married Charlotte Augusta Gibbs (1822–1887) in 1846
      1. William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor(1848–1919)
         1. William Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (1879–1952), the Conservative Party MP for Plymouth Sutton married Nancy Witcher Langhorne who became Conservative Party MP for Plymouth Sutton and the first female MP in the UK
            1. William Waldorf Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor (1907–1966) - Conservative Party MP for Wycombe
               1. William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor (born 1951) (from 2nd marriage), step-father to Samantha Cameron, the wife of Prime Minister David Cameron MP and - Conservative Party MP for Witney
                  1. The Hon. William Waldorf Astor (1979)
               2. The Hon. Emily Astor (from 2nd marriage)
               3. The Rt Hon. Janet Gordon-Lennox, Countess of March and Kinrara (born 1961) (from 3rd marriage)
               4. The Hon. Pauline Marian Astor (from 3rd marriage)
            2. The Hon. Nancy Phyllis Louise Astor (1909–1975)
            3. The Hon. Francis David Langhorne Astor(1912–2001)
               1. Frances Astor
                  1. Gavin Frankel
                     1. Suji Frankel
                     2. Jacob Frankel
                  2. Conrad Frankel (1979)
                  3. Patrick Frankel
               2. Richard Astor
                  1. Bonny Astor
                  2. Alfred Astor
               3. Lucy Astor
                  1. Leonard Pulsford
                  2. Ramona Pulsford
               4. Thomas Astor
                  1. Mary Astor
                  2. Cecelia Astor
            4. The Hon. Michael Langhorne Astor (1916–1980) - Conservative Party MP for East Surrey
               1. William Nicholas Astor (1956).
                  1. Oliver William Astor (1988).
                  2. Matthew Charles Astor (1993).
                  3. Elodie Annabelle Astor (1993).
            5. The Hon. Sir John Jacob Astor (1918–2000) - Conservative Party MP for Plymouth Sutton
         2. The Hon. Pauline Astor (1880–1972)
         3. The Hon. John Rudolph Astor (1881–1881)
         4. John Jacob Astor V, 1st Baron Astor of Hever (1886–1971) - Conservative Party MP for Dover
            1. Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever (1918–1984) - Lord Lieutenant of Kent
               1. John Jacob Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever (born 1946) - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence
            2. The Hon. Hugh Waldorf Astor (1920–1999)
            3. The Hon. John Astor (1923–1987) - - Conservative Party MP for Newbury
   3. Laura Eugenia Astor (1824–1902), married Franklin Hughes Delano (1813–1893) on September 17, 1844
   4. Mary Alida Astor (1826–1881), married John Carey (1821–1881)
   5. William Backhouse Astor, Jr. (1829–1892), 2nd son of William married Caroline Webster Schermerhorn
      1. Emily Astor (1854–1881), married 1876, James John Van Alen(1848–1923)
         1. James Laurens Van Alen (1878–1927), married 1910, Margaret Louise Post (1876–1969)
            1. James Henry Van Alen (1902–1991), founder of Int'l Tennis Hall of Fame, inventor of tie-breaker in tennis
            2. William Laurens Van Alen (1907–2003), founding president of the United States Court Tennis Association, married 1931, Elizabeth Brinton Kent, daughter of A. Atwater Kent
            3. Louise Astor Van Alen (1910–1997), married 1st 1931 (div 1932), Alexei Mdivani (1905–1936); married 2nd 1936, Sergei Mdivani (1903–1936); married 3rd 1947, Alexander Saunderson (1917–2004)
      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), died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic
         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
   6. Henry Astor (1830–1918), married Malvina Dinehart (born 1845) in 1871
   7. Sarah Astor (1832-1832), died in infancy

Spouses

• Elizabeth Astor, Baroness Astor of Hever (born 1950): 2nd wife of John Jacob Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever
• Brooke Russell Marshall Astor (1902–2007): 3rd wife and widow of Vincent Astor
• Irene Astor, Baroness Astor of Hever (1919–2001): daughter of Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig and widow of Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever
• Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor (1830–1908): widow of William Backhouse Astor Jr
• Ava Lowle Willing: 1st wife of John Jacob Astor IV
• Madeleine Talmadge Force (1894–1940): 2nd wife of John Jacob Astor IV
• Nancy Langhorne (1879–1964): widow of William Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor
• Sarah Norton: 1st wife of William Waldorf Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor
• Philippa Hunloke: 2nd wife of William Waldorf Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor
• Janet Bronwen Alun Pugh: 3rd wife and widow of William Waldorf Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor
• Annabel Sheffield: wife of William Waldorf Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
• Barbara McNeil: 1st wife of Michael Langhorne Astor
• Pandora Jones: 2nd wife of Michael Langhorne Astor
• Judy Innes: 3rd wife and widow of Michael Langhorne Astor
• Julia Lynch Olin: wife of Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler
• Alexandra Charlotte Simone Astor: wife of William Nathaniel Astor