Evening star., 1935-12-15
William, Waldorf Ast0r Joins
Family Circle IN Parliament
Son to Sit With Famous
Mother, Establishing
Precedent.
Viii Take Actiue Part in
Affairs Pertaining to
Far East.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
LONDON, December 14.-When the
Hon. william Waldorf Astor subscribed
to the oath and took his seat at the
opening of the British Parliament, it
was the first time in history that
mother and son had ever sat in the
same national legislative body Of a
major power.
There is no conclus We data at hand
on the subject, but It would be hard
to imagine in any parliament a larger
family party than that of the Astors,
clustering about Viscountess Nancy
Astor, which has now been introduced
into office following the national elec-
ton. There are seven of the family
Lady Astor, representing Plymouth:
her son, representing East Fulham;
her brother-in-law. Mai. the Hon.
j. j. Astor, for Dover; her son-in-law,
Lord Willoughby de Eresby, for Rut-
land and Stamford; another brother
in-law, Col. H. H. Spender- Clay, for
Tonbridge; A. Ronald Tree, who is
married to a cousin of Lady Astor,
representing Marlborough, and. Of
course, Lord Astor. her husband, IN
the House of Lords.
In the ordinary course Of events, OF
course, young William Waldorf Astor
would come to sit in the Lords, too.
But he much preferred to get out and
earn a seat for himself in the Com
mons, where the fur and feathers fly.
than to grace one Of the benches In
the somewhat moribund upper house.
Let 1t be noted in his favor that the
district which he contested was no
political "pushover While East Full
han is ordinarily Conservative. its rep
resentative against whom Mr.. Astor
ran last month was very able So
cialist who had won the seat from a
Conservative at by-election.
So at %, without trace Of Amer
ican speech, but with considerable
American hustle about him. the de-
descendant Of the Langhornes OF Vir-
ginia and the Astors of New York has
started on his parliamentary career.
New M p. Is Busy.
He was exceedingly busy the day
after he had beer sworn il, what with
answering hundreds of messages and
carrying on a Lor don County Council
election fight in East Fulham on top
of his own campaign The large room
in Lord and Lady Astor's town house
at 4 st. James square Zone of the re-
manning residences in Clubland) ,
which the new M. P. uses for an office,
had two typists pounding away and
another sorting letters. On the wall
there was full-length portrait in oil
of Lady Astor. In the middle of the
room the young man whom she had
exhorted voters not to call willie
"call him Bill'-was sitting at huge
Florentine table.
He is of rather slight physique,
with a somewhat large head crowned
by abundant brown hair. His silky
brown muStache seems never to have
known a razor. His eyes are brown,
and their lambency goes well with the
almost perpetual smile on his lips.
The first question put to him was
about amusing experiences he has had
in the campaign. It plainly embar-
raised him. He smiled bit forlornly.
looked up at the opposite wall, bit
his lower lip, wrinkled his brows, one
higher than the other.
Can't Recall Amusing Stories.
At the end of half a minute he
turned with an entirely disarmtng
smile and said I'm sorry, but can't
think of a thing. 1t all seems ages
ago, really. Since then have been
OF on vacation to Austria and tried
consciously to forget it. 1t would seem
I had"
Did you mind much getting up
and talking in all sorts of places to
all sorts of people?"
"Oh, no, didn't mind that so much
You see, handled all the outdoor
meetings for my mother in her last
two campaigns. Then, too, my father
had trained me for speaking from
earliest childhood. He would take me
out in an automobile to q Residential.
section Of . town and put me Up on