New-York tribune., 1912-04-17

son of the late William Astor, was the IN
heritor OF the Astor estate, and one of the
wealthiest landlords In America. Aside
from the ancestry which gave him his
name, Mr.. Astor was also descended from
Oloff Stevenson Van COrtlandt. the last
Dutch burgomaster of New Amsterdam.
from Colonel John Armstrong. one of the
heroes Of the French and Indian War, and
from Robert Livingston, who received by
royal grant the famous Livingston Manor.
comprising large part of Columbia and
Dutchess counties, y. y. He was born at
his fathers estate of Fernclff, near Rhine
beck-on- the-Hudson, in 1864. and was ed
ucated at st. Pauls School, Concord, ~
H, and Harvard University. He was grad
uated from Harvard in 1855. and then spent
some time in travel and study abroad. He
had already made extended tours through
the United states. His subsequent travels
took him into nearly every European and
South American country.
Upon his return to his native land Mr.
Astor first fsmiliarzed himself with the de-
tails of the management of his great es-
tate. He- improved the property by the
erection Of some Of the best known build
ings in the city He also took an active
interest in public affairs. and became
director of various financial institutions.
Soldier, Writer and Inventor.
From an early age Mr. Astor manifested
decided inclination toward literary and
scientific work In 1894 he published a
volume entitled "a Journey in Other
Worlds: A Romance Of the Future" In
this he dealt with the opera tions Of a new
force, styled "apergy," the reverse of grav-
itation. by which aerial navigation had be-
come a practical agency of communication
and transportation. This extravaganza at
tracted much attention. AS an inventor he
devised a bicycle brake, a pneumatic road
improver a turbine engine and method
OF utilizing heat.
Mr.. Astor took an active interest in mill
tary affairs. He was made a colonel on
the staff of Governor Morton in 1895 In
that Office he concerned himself with the
best interests Of the state troops At the
outbreak Of the Spanish-American War;
in 1s9S Mr.. Astor was appointed an
inspector general in the army, with
the rank Of lieutenant colonel. For
the duties of this place his former expert
ence on the staff Of Governor Morton gave
him especial fitness. His first work was a
which had been esta blshed in the South
After some weeks OF duty in the United
States Colonel Astor was sent to Cuba
with the army of invasion, and did service
at Santiago. He there fell Il victim to the
fever, but by the latter part of July was
able 10 return to work. He was then sent
back TO Washington as the bearer of i'm
portant dispatches and other documents
10 hn ~,
before the formal signing of the protocol Of
peace, Colonel Astor went on a furlough TO
his home at Ferncliff At the outbreak of
the war he had offered TO recruit and
equip at his own expense a battery of
light artillery. The offer was accepted by
the government. and volunteers hocked in
with enthusiasm. The battery complete
comprised 102 men and six twelvo-pound
Hotchkiss guns. The total cost OF 1t TO
Colonel Astor was about $4,000. After
spending some time in drilling the battery
was sent across the continent TO san
Francisco and thence to Manila, where It
arrived in time TO take part in the opera
tions against that city and in it's final
capture, on August u.
He also offered the government the free
use of his yacht and of the railroads under
his control.
In the fall Of 1898 the nomination for Con-
eress was offered to Mr. Astor in his home
district in this city. but he was constrained
by his business and other interests to de-
cline It. He was also mentioned in that
year as a possible candidate for Governor
Of the state.
Business Affairs
The AstOr estate yae di,.;3od -o,,,o ,,oare
aso. Among the many heirs of the old
William Backhouse Astor or John Jacob
Astor estate there are no interests in com
mon, except IN the Astor House property.
Colonel John Jacob Astor's property inter
eats were managed by trustees. as provi-
stons Of his grsndfather's and fathers will
relate TO the disposition o. certain prop
critics on Colonel Astors death Those trus-
tees were Douglas Robinson, James Roose-
Welt Roosevelt and Nicholas Biddle
The corporations in which Mr. Astor was
interested have total capitalization Of
more than S200c0O.o0O. He was a member Of
the directorates of the Astor Trust Com
pany, the Illinois Central Railroad Com
pany, the Morton Trust Company. the Mer-
camille Trust Company, the National Park
Bank. the Plaza Bank. the Niagara Falls
Power Company and the Western Union
Telegraph Company: trustee of the Title
Guarantee and Trust Company, the New
York Life Insurance and Trust Company
and the Cathedral Of st. John the Divine;
member of the board of managers Of the
Delaware Hudson Company, a member
of the board Of governors Of the Automo-
bile Club OF America. the Newport Casino
and the Turf and Field Club and men,
Der of the board of founders Of The New
Theatre. of New York
He completed in 1897 that part OF the
WaldorfAstoria Hotel known as the AS
toria and the 34th street side of the Astor
Court Building. He finished the Vincent
Building in 1900, the Hotel st. Regis in 1906
and the Hotel Knickerbocker in 1905.
His Family.
Mr.. Astor was married I'm 1891 20 Miss
Ava Willing. Of Philadelphia. She is
daughter Of Edward Shipren Willing and
Alice e., Barton Willing. Thomas Willing.
greats great grandfather Of Mrs. Astor.
was Mayor of Philadelphia. and first presi-
dent OF both the Bank OF North America
and the Bank of the United States He
aided in drawing up the Constitution Of the
United States and designed the coat-of-
arms OF this government. Another OF Mrs.
Astor's ancestry was the Hon. c. w Bar
ton, who In 1868 was conspicuous member
OF the British Parliament
The disappearance of Nj. Astor and his
yacht. the Nourmahsl with a party of
guests, including his son Vincent in the
fall OF 1909, almost simultaneously with the
announcement of his much discussed secret
divorce. created a world. wide sensation