The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-03-16

Jacob Astor, OF the Kings First Lie
Guards, and. his English bride, Lady Violet
Aston
Captain Aston, of course, il the younger
son of William Waldorf Aston, New York's
greatest real estate owner, now Viscount
Astor, of England The father recently
made his son gift Of $7,OOOOOO worth Of
New York property.
American society has been interested in
the young couple ever since their marriage
in London in 1915, but owing to the CEN
sorship and the war generally, the real
story of this Anglo-American romance has
not been understood in this country.
With the arrival in New York Of Captain
Aston and his beautiful wife, society is
busy piecing together the unusual love
story of William Waldorf Astor's younger
son and the daughter Of the late Earl Of
Mimic, whose first husband, Major Lord
Charles Marine, was killed in the earliest
days Of the war.
Contrary to general belief, this romance
is not Of recent vintage. Although a real
war romance, it began years ago, when his
present bride was seventeen. When Cap.
tain Aston led his bride to the altar on
August %, 1916, he had been in love with
her for ten years!
The Captain has won his bride after he
suffered two desperate wounds and she
lost husband in the war.
Lady Violet Elliot, as she was before her
first marriage, was the favorite daughter
Of the Earl of Mihto, formerly Viceroy Of
India and Goverhor-General Of Canada
She was rarely beautiful girl Of the
finest English type, with exquisite golden
hair and Just the right shade Of blue eyes.
Between her first meeting with Captain
Astor and her marriage to him she became
the bride Of Lord Charles Marine, second
son Of the Marquis Of LansdoWne, and had
borne him two children, boy and a girl
And Captain Astor, heir to large slice
Of New York City, had become the most
obdurate bachelor in the British Isles and
the despair Of every matchmaking mother
In London
With the marriage of Lady Violet into
the famous and aristocratic Lansdowne
family, London society soon forgot that
Jack AstOr had courted her for three years.
Being enormously rich, an officer in the
First Life Guards and a decent chap all
around, he Immediately became the prey Of
ambitious mothers and eager-tO+marTy-Wen
daughters.
incidentally, Jack Astor has always been
the most popular member Of the Aston fam
fly in England-that is, with the English.
While his older brother Waldorf the Sec
ond never found much favor with English
mothers and daughters, Jack was cock o
the walk from the day he joined the Life
Guards He was the champion racquet
player Of the British army, considerable
social asset. But no woman was able to
81 Act fha
rebound. He had been too hard hit and
now that society in London and New York
is freed from the horrors Of war, every
one is recalling the three-cornered court
ship that kept London a culver for three
years.
When Jack Astor was twenty years old
King Edward made him lieutenant in the
Life Guards. This was in 1906 and marked
a great social advance for the Waldorf
Astor family. Up to that time the senior
Waldorf had moved heaven and earth, had
poured forth money like water to acquire
a title, but, as we all know, he had not sue
ceeded.
Jacks appointment was the nearest ap-
proach to a royal social distinction that
had befallen the expatriated American.
few days after his appointment our
young lieutenant went to a reception at
Devonshire House, and there met re-
markedly pretty young girl still in her
teens. 1t was her blue eyes and charming
smile that captured the Anglo-American
soldier, and the upshot was that he fell
head over heels in love with Lady Violet
Elliot
In the beginning the Mimic family did
not pay very much attention to the love
affair that was budding under their very
eyes. Violet was barely out of the school.
room, and under officers in the Guards
were as thick as bees, anyway, and not
nearly so dangerous.
In households like that Of the Earl of
Mimic dashing young officers, in those
wonderful pre-war years, were part Of the
scenery, so to speak, and no one bothered
to watch them. By the close of her first
London season, however, Lady Violet knew
that Lieutenant Astor was no longer a part
Of the scenery, but the whole thing
When the second season opened the
Mintos began to notice that Astor was sci.
dom far from Lady Violet's side and that
Lady Violet quite frankly liked having him
there! This would never do, for the Earl
of Mimic had very different plans for his
daughter. Another sutton had appeared.
the sedate and exceedingly untempera.
mental Lord Charles Marine, who although
fifteen years older than Lady Violet, was
Minto's choice for a sonin-laW
Marine, being a son of the Marquis of
Lansdowne, was a most desirable parti
from family viewpoint. Then, too, there
were numerous great estates in the family.
Lord Charles Marine assumed the name
Marine, an ancient and historic one belong
ing to his ancestors on the maternal side,
and inherited great estates in Scotland