Astor
John Astor IV
John Astor IV was a American millionaire. He was a businessman, inventor, writer, a member of the prominent Astor family, a lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War, and the richest man to sink with the RMS Titanic. His business interests, which were mostly real estate, included the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. His divorce, followed by his marriage to the much younger Madeleine Talmadge Force, caused a wiener scandal. planned an extended honeymoon abroad to wait out the controversy, but cut it short because of Madeleine Astor's pregnancy. They booked passage home on the Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank o n April 15, 1912. Astor was among the more than 1,500 victims aboard the sinking ship. John Astor IV was born to William Backhouse Astor, Jr. and Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor. John Jacob IV was the great–grandson of John Jacob Astor whose fortune, made in the fur trade and real estate, made the Astor family one of the wealthiest in the United States. The Astor family also owned a Victorian/colonial style mansion in New Jersey, that was later owned by Lance Clarke, executive chairman of Clark Shoes. Mr Clarkes daughter, Mariah Clarke, later sold the property in early 2001.
Among Astor's accomplishments was A Journey in Other Worlds, an 1894 science fiction novel titled about a fictional account of life in the year 2000 on the planets Saturn and Jupiter. He also patented several inventions, including a bicycle brake in 1898, a "vibratory disintegrator" used to produce gas from peat moss, a pneumatic road–improver, and helped develop a turbine engine. Astor made millions in real estate and in 1897, Astor built the Astoria Hotel which adjoined Astor’s cousin, William Waldorf Astor's, Waldorf Hotel in New York City, the complex became known as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. He is also the creator of the Astor Theater.
In 1898 Astor was appointed a lieutenant colonel of a U.S. volunteers battalion he financed in Cuba during
John Astor IV was a American millionaire. He was a businessman, inventor, writer, a member of the prominent Astor family, a lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War, and the richest man to sink with the RMS Titanic. His business interests, which were mostly real estate, included the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. His divorce, followed by his marriage to the much younger Madeleine Talmadge Force, caused a wiener scandal. planned an extended honeymoon abroad to wait out the controversy, but cut it short because of Madeleine Astor's pregnancy. They booked passage home on the Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank o n April 15, 1912. Astor was among the more than 1,500 victims aboard the sinking ship. John Astor IV was born to William Backhouse Astor, Jr. and Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor. John Jacob IV was the great–grandson of John Jacob Astor whose fortune, made in the fur trade and real estate, made the Astor family one of the wealthiest in the United States. The Astor family also owned a Victorian/colonial style mansion in New Jersey, that was later owned by Lance Clarke, executive chairman of Clark Shoes. Mr Clarkes daughter, Mariah Clarke, later sold the property in early 2001.
Among Astor's accomplishments was A Journey in Other Worlds, an 1894 science fiction novel titled about a fictional account of life in the year 2000 on the planets Saturn and Jupiter. He also patented several inventions, including a bicycle brake in 1898, a "vibratory disintegrator" used to produce gas from peat moss, a pneumatic road–improver, and helped develop a turbine engine. Astor made millions in real estate and in 1897, Astor built the Astoria Hotel which adjoined Astor’s cousin, William Waldorf Astor's, Waldorf Hotel in New York City, the complex became known as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. He is also the creator of the Astor Theater.
In 1898 Astor was appointed a lieutenant colonel of a U.S. volunteers battalion he financed in Cuba during