Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-11-23
WILLIAM Y. ASTOR
BECOMES MASTER
OF HIS FORTUNE
Young Man Reaches Majority
And Inherits S65.00O,000.
HE NOW ENTERS THE
BUSINESS WORLD

! Possession Of a Great Fortune
/ Was peileate Child And Careful
/ " Nursed For Years,
i NEW YORK. Nov Is. William
/ Vincent Asior. head OF the American
branch Of tho Astor family since the
/ death of his father, John Jacob Astor,
/ who went to his death on the steamer
Titanic on The morning OF April Is,
+ 1912. reached his majority today, and
/ by virtue OF the fact came into full-con-
+ troll Of the Astor fortune. which IL CON
servativeiy estimated ut sG5000,000.
j When the estate was appraised by ex.
i perts shortly after ths death % col
/ John Jacob Astor, TO determine tho
amount or inheritance tax TO be paid.
4 the aggregate value 81 the estate WAS
laced AZ between SIS ppa eoo and SO.
j 0aa.a As these dsures are Official
and probably nearly correct as pos.
sihle under the circumstances. the
/ amount of the fortune into The posses
sion Of which young William Nncent
Astor came today, may easily be es-
| tmateG.
Under the terms Of Colonel Astors
viii William Vincent Astor WAS made
rcsldgary legatce. Tho shares q all
Other heirs were liked in plain tewaa
by the viii itself Mrs. Madeline Tai
mage Force Aston, the widow. received
4 for life or until marriage the income
from $5.000,000 and the use OF the
4 Fifth Avenue home OF her late hus.
band, as we'll as s150000 outright
MurIel Astor, a daughter by Colonel
Astor's first marriage, received a trust
fund of s5,0o0.00O similar fund Of
! $S.0o0,000 was provided for John ia
cob Astor. H., the posthumous child
/ Of Colonel Aston Other requests az.
gregated nearly 100000 Deducting
these trusts and requests from the es-
4 timated total value OF the estate would
place William Vincent Astor's share at
about S65.000.000,
No Astor has ever come into the
family fortune at so young an age
as William Vincent Aston His faith
or was % before he succeeded. and
his grandfather was CO. His great
grandfather, John Jacob III. was So,
and his father, William Backhouse L.
was &c.
William Vincent Astor was born in
the old Astor home on Fifth avenue
and Thirty street on November
Is, 1891, five minutes before his grand
father died aud his father became head
OF the house. lie was so frai d baby
that only unremitting care kept him
alive He lived in the lonelest child
hood because Of this and when other
children rompcd In the open air. he
sat over a toy piano In a nursery to
which no playmate ever came Ser
wants saved him every exertion.
nurses were always with him, physi-
clans awaited calls TO him that had
precedence over all others
Six years OF this unceasing atten-
ton brought Vincent Astor to degree
OF health 1t had been thought he never
could attain Newport was astonish
ed to see him come there FIVE years
ago and take an active part in the
sports OF the summer colony. II was
still more astonished at his great in
terest I'm antomobiling. He drove his
town ear with daring skin, although
he was only l6 years OF age His faith
err, wishing to strengthen the boys
health by keeping him out OF doors as
much as possible. encouraged his fond
ness for automobiling and yachting,
but although Vincent Astor continued
7 10. f,ft s..4
in the sailing sport, he devoted the
I greater share OF his interest to auto
MODELLING
AS boy of IL or 10 William Vim
cent Astor passed through severe sick
nesses and had to undergo several OPP
erations Every year he was taken
4 to st. Horitz or the Rivera on account
Of bronchial trouble. The constant
care required by his delicate health
retarded his education to some extent.
I He was sent to Elton. but soon return
ed because the English boys at that
I famous school made life a burden to
! the rich young American He went
through course at st. Georges. at
Newport and then entered Harvard
University for a three-year course. He
( intended to take his bachelor degree4
and then study law. but all these plans
were changed through the death Of
his father and the change In condl-
tions caused thereby.
During his college days William
4 Vincent Aston made an attempt to go
In for athletics and was assigned a
place in the freshmen crew, but soon
withdrew and confined himself to a
life of luxury and daring automobile
ing. He became noted for his speed 1
ing and repeatedly came In conflict
with the speed laws.
II Is not surprising that William (
Vincent Aston is considered the great
est catch by the mothers of marriage
able daughters. There have been a !
number OF rumors Of engagements Of
tie young man to various society girls
and others, but SO far there seems to
s.., that az, .r.,ss,trr p..x,