William Waldorf Astor

The Viscount Astor
William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
1 January 1916 – 18 October 1919
Hereditary peerage
Preceded byPeerage created
Succeeded byThe 2nd Viscount Astor
Member of the New York Senate
from the 10th district
In office
1 January 1880 – 31 December 1881
Preceded byDaniel B. St. John
Succeeded byJoseph Koch
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the New York County's 11th district
In office
1 January 1878 – 31 December 1878
Preceded byElliot C. Cowdin
Succeeded byJames M. Varnum
Personal details
Born
William Waldorf Astor

(1848-03-31)31 March 1848
New York City, U.S.
Died18 October 1919(1919-10-18) (aged 71)
Brighton, Sussex, England
Cause of deathHeart failure
Political partyRepublican (US)
Spouse
Mary Dahlgren Paul
(m. 1878; died 1894)
Children
Parents
RelativesSee Astor family
Alma materColumbia Law School

William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor[1] (31 March 1848 – 18 October 1919) was an American-English attorney, politician, hotelier, publisher and philanthropist. Astor was a scion of the very wealthy Astor family of New York City. He moved to England in 1891, became a British subject in 1899, and was made a peer as Baron Astor in 1916 and Viscount Astor in 1917 for his contributions to war charities. The census-designated place of Waldorf, Maryland is named after him.

  1. ^ "An Age of Splendor, and Hotel One-Upmanship". The New York Times. 18 June 2006.