Astor
Astor names 5 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Astor JOHN JACOB, an American merchant
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
JOHN JACOB, an American merchant, born in Waldorf , Germany, July 17, 1763. In 1783 he came to the United States and engaged in buying furs from the Indians and selling them to dealers. His success in the fur business led him to become the owner of a number of vessels in which he shipped furs to London and brought merchandise therefrom. In furtherance of a scheme for becoming independent of the Hudson Bay Company and establishing a thoroughly American system of fur trading, he sent out expeditions to open up intercourse with the Indians on the Pacific coast, by which the present city of Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia river in Oregon was planted in 1811. An interesting outline of his projects in this connection is given in Washington Irving's "Astoria." Mr. Astor acquired large wealth, invested heavily in real estate in New York City ; and at his death left a fortune estimated at $20,000,000, and the sum of $400,000, with which to found a public library in New York City. He died March 29, 1848.
Astor WILLIAM WALDORF, capitalist
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
WILLIAM WALDORF, capitalist, born in New York City, March 31, 1848; received a private education; was admitted to the bar in 1875. He was elected to the New York Assembly in 1871, and to the Senate in 1879; was defeated for Congress in 1881, and was United States Minister to Italy in 1882- 1885. On the death of his father, John Jacob Astor, in 1890, he became the head of the Astor family, and inherited a fortune said to aggregate $100,000,000. He removed to England in 1890; became the owner of the "Pall Mall Gazette" and "Pall Mall Magazine"; and was naturalized a British subject on July 1, 1899. He published "Valentino" (1885) and "Sforza" (1889), both romances. He gave considerable sums to English charities and colleges and was made a peer in 1916. Died in London, Oct. 18, 1919.
Astor JOHN JACOB, an American capitalist
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
JOHN JACOB, an American capitalist, born in Rhinebeck , N. Y., July 13, 1864; great grandson of John Jacob, graduated from Harvard University in 1888. In 1897 he built the Astoria Hotel in New York, adjoining the Waldorf Hotel, which had been built by his cousin, William Waldorf Astor, and subsequently the two were united under the name of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. He was appointed Colonel on the staff of Gov. Morton; was commissioned a Lieutenant -Colonel of Volunteers in May, 1898 , and served on inspection and staff duty in the United States and Cuba till the surrender of Santiago. He published "A Journey to Other Worlds"; "A Romance of the Future" (1894). Died in the wreck of the "Titanic," April 15, 1912.
Astor LADY NANCY, the second woman to be elected to
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
LADY NANCY, the second woman to be elected to the British Parliament and the first woman to take actually her seat. She stood as the Conservative candidate for Plymouth in 1919 and was elected by a considerable margin over Liberal and Labor candidates. Her campaign was notable for the wit and spirit of her speeches. She is an American by birth and is the wife of Lord Waldorf Astor She is the mother of six children. She has spoken briefly several times in Parliament on pending questions.
Astor WILLIAM BACKHOUSE, an American capitalist
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
WILLIAM BACKHOUSE, an American capitalist, born in New York City, Sept. 19, 1792; eldest son of John Jacob Astor; was associated with his father in business; increased the family fortune to $45,000,000; and gave $550,- 000 to the Astor Library. He died in New York, Nov. 24, 1875.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's wrote in 1921 while Nancy Astor was still a novice MP who "has spoken briefly several times in Parliament"; she went on to hold Plymouth Sutton until 1945, and her Cliveden circle became notorious in the late 1930s for its sympathy toward appeasing Hitler, which badly damaged her reputation. The Waldorf-Astoria that the entry describes was demolished in 1929 to clear the site for the Empire State Building, the hotel name reopening on Park Avenue in 1931. John Jacob Astor's book fund had already been folded into the New York Public Library in 1895, and the family's later wealth drained away from New York: the British branch bought The Times in 1922 and sold it in 1966, while Brooke Astor, widow of the last great American Astor philanthropist, died in 2007 at 105 amid a criminal case over the looting of her estate.
Written for this edition, 2026.