Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor
Charles Edward Mallet and Aneurin Williams | |
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Succeeded by | Constituency Abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Waldorf Astor 19 May 1879 New York City, New York, US |
Died | 30 September 1952 Taplow, England | (aged 73)
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse | |
Children |
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Parents |
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Relatives | See Astor family |
Alma mater | Eton College New College, Oxford |
Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor,
Early life
Astor was born in New York City. He was the eldest son of William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor, and Mary Dahlgren Paul. His younger brothers were John Rudolph Astor (who died young) and John Jacob Astor V, Baron Astor of Hever. He spent much of his life traveling and living in Europe before his family settled in England in 1889. There Waldorf attended Eton College and New College, Oxford, where he excelled as a sportsman, earning accolades for both fencing and polo.[1] For the Oxford University Polo Club he played side on side with Devereux Milburn in successive Varsity Matches, winning by a margin of 14 goals on both occasions.[2]
Marriage and children
In 1905, while a passenger on an Atlantic voyage returning to Britain, Astor met Nancy Langhorne Shaw, a divorced woman with a young son (Robert Gould Shaw III). Coincidentally, both he and Mrs Shaw shared the same birthdate, May 19, 1879, and both were American.[3] After a rapid courtship, the two married in May 1906. As a wedding gift, Waldorf's father gave him and his bride the Sancy diamond and the family estate at Cliveden, which Nancy redecorated and modernised with the installation of electricity.
- William Waldorf Astor II, 3rd Viscount Astor (13 August 1907 — 7 March 1966)
- Nancy Phyllis Louise Astor (22 March 1909 — 2 March 1975)
- Francis David Langhorne Astor (5 March 1912 — 6 December 2001)
- Michael Langhorne Astor (10 April 1916 — 26 February 1980)
- Major Sir John Jacob "Jakie" Astor VII (29 August 1918 — 10 September 2000)
Through his wife Astor developed an interest in social reform.[4]
Public career
Nancy also encouraged her husband to launch a career in politics. Though defeated in an initial attempt to win election to the House of Commons in the January 1910 general election, Astor won election as a Unionist for the borough of Plymouth in the December 1910 general election. He held the seat until the constituency was abolished in 1918, after which he moved to the borough of Plymouth Sutton. Despite his political affiliation, Astor quickly demonstrated his independence by his support for the so-called "People's Budget" and the National Insurance Act of 1911.[1]
In 1911, Astor was approached by
Following the outbreak of the
In 1916, father William Waldorf Astor was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Astor. Upon the death of his father in October 1919, Waldorf Astor succeeded to the viscountcy and became the 2nd Viscount Astor despite Waldorf's attempts to disclaim the title.[9] Now a member of the House of Lords, Astor was forced to forfeit his seat in the House of Commons, though he remained active in the government. The seat was won subsequently in a by-election by Astor's wife Nancy, who became the second woman elected to the House of Commons and the first woman to take her seat in the House, after the first woman elected, Constance Markievicz, had declined in accordance with her (Sinn Féin) party's policy. Nancy retained the seat until she stepped down in the 1945 general election.[10]
Later years
With his political career eclipsed by that of his wife, Waldorf turned to greater involvement in charitable causes. He became governor of the
Astor first got involved in horseracing, whilst an undergraduate, when he purchased a filly called Conjure for 100 guineas. He later bought two other fillies/mares called Maid of the Mist and Popinjay and these three became the foundation mares of Astor's Cliveden Stud that he established near to his home. He became a successful owner-breeder and in all won 11 Classic races. These were;
In 1950, in poor health, he decided to withdraw from racing. He handed over his stud to his eldest son William and divided his bloodstock between William and his youngest son Jakie (John Jacob). The two brothers tossed a coin and then took alternate choices of the thoroughbred stock. The eldest son continued using his racing colours of pale blue and pink and Jakie's colours were a variation on this.
During the military buildup in Germany in the 1930s, the Astors promoted entente with Germany, seen by critics as appeasement of Hitler. Many of their associates felt sympathy for the state of Germany after
In 1940, they urged
The Astor family donated Cliveden Estate in
Viscount Astor died on 30 September 1952 at Cliveden near Taplow, England,[9][14] and was buried in the Octagon Temple at Cliveden.[15] His eldest son Bill succeeded him as Viscount.
Arms
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References
- ^ a b c d R. J. Q. Adams, "Astor, Waldorf, second Viscount Astor", in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison, eds. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), vol. 2, p. 801.
- ^ "The Polo Monthly" (PDF). July 1909: 375. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
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(help) - ^ "Lady Astor, 84, Dies in Castle", Chicago Tribune, May 2, 1964, p1
- ^ Christopher Sykes, Nancy: The Life of Lady Astor (New York: Harper & Row, 1972), pgs. 79–82, 87, 146.
- ^ Alfred M. Gollin, The Observer and J. L. Garvin, 1908–1914 (London: Oxford University Press, 1960), pgs. 300–303.
- ^ "No. 29075". The London Gazette (5th supplement). 18 February 1915. p. 1711.
- ^ "No. 29932". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 February 1917. p. 1341.
- ^ "No. 29993". The London Gazette. 20 March 1917. p. 2755.
- ^ New York Times. 1 October 1952. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
In 1919, on his father's death, he became the second Viscount and Baron Astor
- ^ Sykes, op cit, pgs. 187–209
- ^ Army Lists.
- ^ "Lord Astor". The Times. London. 1 October 1952. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ A Reevaluation of Cockburn's Cliveden Set
- Eugene Register-Guard. 30 September 1952. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
- ^ dijit.net. "Astor Mausoleum - Mausolea & Monuments Trust". www.mmtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2015.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Viscount Astor
- "Archival material relating to Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor". UK National Archives.
- Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). 1922. This article is mostly about Waldorf Astor. .