The Calumet news., 1912-11-15
William Vincent Astor Reaches S
Majority and Gets Faith
er's Fortune
Although Frail as Child He Is Fond
Of Athletics


head II the American branch of the
Astpr family since the death or his
father, John jacob Astor, who went
to his death on the steamer Titanic on
he morning If April L., 1919, reached
his majority today and bv virtue OF
this fact came into full cortrol e TIE
Astor fortune which is conservatiVely
estimated at S6I,0O0000 Whch the es-
tate was appraised 10y experts ghortl.
after the death Of Col. John Jacoch
Ast1r. To- determine the amount cf in
herltance tax To he paid, the aggregate
tJlu, of the estate was placed AT be-
tween S75,O00,OOO and $4,000 OGo. AZ
these figures are official ard probably
is nearly correct rs possible under the
circumstances, the amount of the for
tune into the possession Of which,
young William Vincent Astor came to-
day. may easily be. estimt ted
Others Provided For.
Under the terms uf Col ACTORS will.
William Vincent Astor was made res
iduary legatee. The shares of all other
heirs were fixed In plain terms by the
viii Itself Mrs. Madelairc Talmage
Force Astor, the widow received for
life. or until remarrialc the income
from s. OCT. 900 and tho use of the Fifth
Avenue home of her late husband, rs
wen as $50 200 outright Muriel Astor.
a daughter. by Col Astors FIRST mar
riage, received "A trust fund Of $1,000.
900. \ similar trust fund of So 000,
pGO was provided FOR John Jacob Astor
III tine pcsthumoUs child of Col AS
ter. Cthcr hequests aggregate yearly
S50OP9o. Deductins these trusts. ard
bequests from the estimated total value
Of the estate wodld place william
Vincent Astors share at about $65.
100000
Youngest Astor Head.
No Astor has ever come into the
William Vincent Astor. Ills father
was tweuty-cight before lie succeedcG
and his grandfather was sixty. Ills
creat John Jacob III was
hftyt three. and his father. William
Backhlusc l.. was Gfty-siX.
William Vincent As.or was born in
the old Astpr homestead On FIFTH Ae
cnue and Thirty-fourth street on No
vcmbcr ~, 1891, five months b"foie his
grandfather died and his father became
head of the house ~" was so fraii
I baby that only tInrcmittiLg care kept
l.
hood because of this and. when Other
children romped in the Cpcn air, he
sat over 4 toy piano I'm q nursery TO
which no playmate ever came. Ser
"tnts saved him every eNcrtion. nIrses
were always with him: physicians
awaited calls to him that had preced
ence over all others.
Has Reqsinod Health.
Six wears of this tiuceasing attention
brought Vincent Astor to = degree cf
he alth IL had beAi thought he never
could attain. Newport was astonishcd
20 see him come there five years az,
and take an active rart in tho sports
Of the summer colony. II was still
more astonished at his great interest
N iutomuhiling. He drove his own
ar with daring skill. although he was
then only sixteen years of age. His
father, wishing To strengthen the BOYS
health 10y keeping him out cf doors
- much AZ possible encouraged his
rondne,s for automobiling and yacht"
ing, but although Vincent Astor con
Its "a tai "A "A tn in ,,f
interest in the sailing spcrt, he de-
y oted the greater share Of his interest
TO- autoGlobiling.
Graduate Of Harvard
As a boy Of twelve or thirteen vii
liam Vincent Astor passed through Sc
we're sickueSses and had to Undergo
several surgical operations. Every year
he was taken to st. Moritz or the Ri
viera Jn account of bronchial trouble
The constant care required by his deli
'atc health retarded his education tol
some extent. He was sent to Etcn, but
sO"n returned because the Englisl,
boys at that famous school made life
L burden to the rich American Hel
went through course at St Georges
At Newport and then entered Harvard
CONVERSELY fJr three years course.
He intended to take his bachelors de
lr"e and then study law. bat all these
Dlans were changed through the death
4 hls father and the change In con-
iitions caused thereby.
Noted Auto Speeder.
During his college days William
Vin'en Astur made an attemept to go
II for athletics and was assigned a
place in the freshmen crew, but soon
withdrew and confined himself to a
ife of luxury and darins antomobiling.
lie became noted for his speeding and
repeatedly came ir conflict with the
speed laws.
IL Is not surprising that William