Brooke Astor Dies At
105

The Astors And New York's Gilded
Age

Who Were The Astors?

One pictures an aristocratic family in gilded carriages,
Newport mansions, and the center of New York's high society. But the
truth is they were con-men who made their fortune in opium, and as slum
lords.

Jonathan Jakob Astor... 1763 - 1848

Son of a Jewish butcher, he made his fortune in the fur trade,
real estate, and opium industries.  He traded furs with
Indians and then he started a fur goods shop in New York City in
the late 1780s. In 1800, Astor traded furs, teas and sandalwood
with Canton in China, and greatly benefited from it.  Thomas
Jefferson gave him special franchises.

In the 1830s,
Jakob Astor entered his biggest venture, he bought enormous
amounts of New York real estate. At the time of his death in 1848,
Astor was the wealthiest person in the United States, leaving an
estate estimated to be worth at least 20 million dollars. 5

William Backhouse Astor, Sr.  ....1792 -  1875

William Backhouse Astor, Sr. was the second-oldest son of
John Jacob Astor and Sarah Todd Astor. He ran the Astor holdings,
he was the driving force behind the real estate, and he left an
estate worth close to $50 million. 7

John Jacob Astor III ...  1822 – 1890

The elder son of William Backhouse Astor, Sr. and the
wealthiest member of the Astor family. He was New York's biggest
slum lord.

John Jacob Astor IV .... 1864 –  1912

He was a New York real estate magnate who married 17 year old
girl. He died on the Titanic. The romantic story of Astor drinking
brandy as the boat sunk was just a
legend.

John Jacob Astor VI ...1912 - 1992

He was the son
of John Jacob Astor IV, who died when the RMS Titanic sank on
April 15, 1912. His mother was five months pregnant when she was
rescued eight hours after her husband went down with the
ship.

John Jacob Astor VI  was married three times. He
died in Miami Beach, Florida at the age of 79.

Astors And The
Roosevelts

The Roosevelt/Delano
family had numerous marriages. Franklin Hughes Delano married
Lavia Astor, daughter of the original William Backhouse Astor.
James Roosevelt Roosevelt married Helen Astor, daughter of William
Backhouse, Jr.. James Roosevelt, he married the sister of Vincent
Astor’s wife.

The Astor Bloodline

Judicial
Index