John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
|---|---|
| In office 21 March 1956 – 19 July 1971 Hereditary Peerage | |
| Preceded by | Peerage created |
| Succeeded by | The 2nd Lord Astor of Hever |
| Member of Parliament for Dover | |
| In office 15 November 1922 – 15 June 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Thomas Polson |
| Succeeded by | John Thomas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 May 1886 Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | 19 July 1971 (aged 85) Cannes, France |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse |
Lady Violet Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (m. 1916; died 1965) |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) | William Waldorf Astor Mary Dahlgren Paul |
| Relatives | See Astor family |
| Alma mater | Eton College New College, Oxford |
Biography
Early life
Astor was born in
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing the  United Kingdom
| ||
| Men's rackets | ||
 |
1908 London | Men's doubles |
 |
1908 London | Men's singles |
Astor represented Great Britain in
First World War
In
At the start of 1918 he was put in command of 520 Household Siege Battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery, his bravery with that unit earning him the rank of Chevalier in France's Légion d'Honneur. In September that year, near Cambrai, his right leg was shattered by a shell and later amputated,[2] though he was still able to play and win against younger opponents at squash on a prosthetic limb.[2]
1919-1949
Upon his father's death in 1919, Astor inherited
In addition to his directorships and newspaper business, John Jacob V served in politics, as
In 1927 he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Kent and Sussex Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery, a post he held until 1946, then Honorary Colonel of the 23rd London Regiment in 1928, holding that post until 1949. During World War II, he also became Lieutenant-Colonel of the 5th Battalion, City of London Home Guard, a unit drawn from newspaper employees,[7] between 1940 and 1944.[3]
Middlesex Hospital
John Astor was a great benefactor of the Middlesex Hospital, London W 1, both financially and in service given. He was a member of its Board of Governors for 40 years, and the Board's chairman for 24 years. He also endowed the Chair of Physiology in 1920 and gave the money for the Nurses' Home in Foley Street, which survived the demolition of the Hospital. For many years, the name of the donor was unknown, but it was later named John Astor House in his honour. He gave money towards the Windeyer Building of the Medical School, and Astor College, the medical students' residence.
1950s
In the 1950s Astor became Chairman of
On 21 January 1956 he was created Baron Astor of Hever, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent,
Death
In 1962, he moved from England to France. He died on 19 July 1971 in Cannes, France.[1] Selected artworks from the family's vast collection were bequeathed to the National Gallery including the prized "Thames below Westminster" by Claude Monet. John Jacob V and Violet are buried together on the grounds of Hever Castle and his eldest son Gavin succeeded him as Baron.[citation needed]
Issue
Lord and Lady Astor had three sons:[11]
- John Jacob "Johnny" Astor VIII.
- Lt Col Hugh Waldorf Astor (20 November 1920 - 7 June 1999), married Emily Lucy Kinloch, a niece of Diana Vreeland, and had five children.
- John Astor (26 September 1923 - 27 December 1987), married Diana Kathleen Drummond, a grandniece of Herbert Samuel Holt, and had three children.
Through his son Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever, he is a great-grandfather of Harry Marcus George Lopes (b. 1977), who married Laura Rose Parker Bowles, the second child of Andrew Parker Bowles and Queen Camilla, thus making her the stepdaughter of King Charles III. [1]
References
- ^ a b c "Lord Astor of Hever Is Dead, Published The Times of London. American-Born Press Lord Headed Newspaper for 37 Years. Served in House of Commons 1922-1945". The New York Times. 20 July 1971. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
Lord Astor of Hever, former publisher of The Times of London, died today ...
- ^ ISBN 0-19-861352-0.Article by Derek Wilson.
- ^ ISBN 0-7136-2176-1.
- ^ "John Jacob Astor". Olympedia. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ Burke's Peerage 2003[page needed]
- ^ "Some recollections by A.W. Tuke AND R.J.H Gillman" Barclays Bank Limited 1926-1969 (c) Barclays Bank Limited 1972 under appendix I (Directors of Barclays Bank Limited from 1896 to 1969, p.117. Printed in Great Britain at the University Press, Oxford by Vivian Ridler Printer to the University.
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 2. p. 797.
- ^ The Press and the People. General Council of the Press. 1955. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 40692". The London Gazette. 24 January 1956. p. 499.
- ^ "Lord Astor of Hever (1956)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Lords. 21 March 1956.
- ^ Burke's Peerage 1999, page 131
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Jacob Astor
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
- John Astor at databaseOlympics.com
- John Jacob Astor V at Find a Grave
- John Jacob Astor V at Biography.com
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