John Jacob Astor VI
Encyclopedia
John Jacob Astor VI known familiarly as "Jakey", was a member of the Astor family
. He was born four months after his father, John Jacob Astor IV
, died in the sinking of RMS Titanic.
and Europe. Madeleine Astor was five months pregnant when her husband put her in one of Titanic's lifeboats. She was rescued eight hours after her husband went down with the ship. The younger Astor is by some considered a Titanic survivor, albeit in utero.
Under the terms of her husband's will, Madeleine Astor received relatively little from an estate estimated to be as much as $100 million. Provided she did not remarry, the 19-year-old widow received the annual investment income from a five-million-dollar trust fund and the use of her late husband's homes on Fifth Avenue in New York City
and in Newport, Rhode Island
. No specific provision for the unborn child had yet been made, but a clause of his father's will provided that any surviving child other than his son Vincent
and his daughter Ava
would receive a bequest of $3 million, to be held in trust until the child reached age 21. This amount eventually went to the younger Astor on his 21st birthday.
His stepfathers were William K. Dick and Enzo Fiermonte.
John Jacob Astor VI graduated from St. George's School
in Newport, Rhode Island
.
He married Ellen Tuck French at Trinity Church in Newport, Rhode Island
on June 30, 1934. The couple was divorced in 1943; they had one child, William Backhouse Astor III.
Astor then married Gertrude Gretsch, daughter of Walter Gretsch, in New York City on September 18, 1944. The couple had a daughter, Mary Jacqueline (born 1949), and she married John Nicholas Drexel, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1954, though the Mexican divorce was ruled invalid in 1956. An American divorce soon followed. Gertrude Astor married, as her second husband, in 1961, Sonio Coletti-Perucca.
He married a third time to Dolores Margaret Fullman (born 1929) on 6 August 1954 but they separated soon after returning from their honeymoon and divorced.
His fourth wife was Sue Sandford; she predeceased him, circa 1989.
John Jacob Astor VI had one son from the 1st, and one daughter from the 2nd marriage:
in 1992 at the age of 79. His body was returned to New York for burial with his parents in the Trinity Church Cemetery
.
(born 1886) was born first and should be John Jacob Astor V. Sir John Jacob Astor (born 1918), youngest brother of David Astor
, is John Jacob Astor VII
, and the 3rd Baron Astor of Hever is John Jacob Astor VIII
. John Jacob Astor V is also sometimes referred to as John Jacob Astor III.
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
. He was born four months after his father, John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War and a member of the prominent Astor family...
, died in the sinking of RMS Titanic.
Early life
Astor's parents had married on September 9, 1911 and were returning home aboard the Titanic after about three months of honeymooning in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Europe. Madeleine Astor was five months pregnant when her husband put her in one of Titanic
Under the terms of her husband's will, Madeleine Astor received relatively little from an estate estimated to be as much as $100 million. Provided she did not remarry, the 19-year-old widow received the annual investment income from a five-million-dollar trust fund and the use of her late husband's homes on Fifth Avenue in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. No specific provision for the unborn child had yet been made, but a clause of his father's will provided that any surviving child other than his son Vincent
Vincent Astor
William Vincent Astor was a businessman and philanthropist and a member of the prominent Astor family.-Early life:...
and his daughter Ava
Ava Alice Muriel Astor
Ava Alice Muriel Astor was the daughter of John Jacob Astor IV and Ava Lowle Willing and sister of Vincent Astor.-Early life:...
would receive a bequest of $3 million, to be held in trust until the child reached age 21. This amount eventually went to the younger Astor on his 21st birthday.
His stepfathers were William K. Dick and Enzo Fiermonte.
John Jacob Astor VI graduated from St. George's School
St. George's School, Newport
St. George's School is a private, Episcopal, coeducational boarding school in Middletown, Rhode Island, USA, just east of the city of Newport. The school was founded in 1896 by the Rev. John Byron Diman, a member of a prominent Rhode Island family. It sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean...
in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
.
Marriages
Astor was originally engaged to Eileen S.S. Gillespie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Lewis Gillespie of New York City and Newport, Rhode Island in December 1933. However, she broke off the engagement two days before the wedding; reportedly, "She felt that he had grown up lonely ... He was a bit eccentric, and she felt he wasn’t mature enough to get married."He married Ellen Tuck French at Trinity Church in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
on June 30, 1934. The couple was divorced in 1943; they had one child, William Backhouse Astor III.
Astor then married Gertrude Gretsch, daughter of Walter Gretsch, in New York City on September 18, 1944. The couple had a daughter, Mary Jacqueline (born 1949), and she married John Nicholas Drexel, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1954, though the Mexican divorce was ruled invalid in 1956. An American divorce soon followed. Gertrude Astor married, as her second husband, in 1961, Sonio Coletti-Perucca.
He married a third time to Dolores Margaret Fullman (born 1929) on 6 August 1954 but they separated soon after returning from their honeymoon and divorced.
His fourth wife was Sue Sandford; she predeceased him, circa 1989.
John Jacob Astor VI had one son from the 1st, and one daughter from the 2nd marriage:
- William Backhouse Astor III (born 1935), married Charlotte Fisk. They had 2 children: William Backhouse Astor IV (born 1959) and G. Todd Astor, who has three children: Alexandra Astor, Rebecca Astor and Stephen Astor. William Backhouse Astor III died on September 24, 2008.
- Jacqueline Astor (born 1949), married in 1984 to John Nicholas Drexel IV (born 1945) and they had one son, Nicholas.
Death
John Jacob Astor VI died in Miami Beach, FloridaMiami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
in 1992 at the age of 79. His body was returned to New York for burial with his parents in the Trinity Church Cemetery
Trinity Church Cemetery
Trinity Church Cemetery consists of three separate burial grounds associated with Trinity Church in Manhattan, New York, USA. The first was established in the Churchyard located at 74 Trinity Place at Wall Street and Broadway...
.
Name confusion
Some sources number him as John Jacob Astor V or as John Jacob Astor VI. John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of HeverJohn Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever
Lieutenant-Colonel John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever DL was a British military officer, statesman, a newspaper proprietor, and a member of the prominent Astor family...
(born 1886) was born first and should be John Jacob Astor V. Sir John Jacob Astor (born 1918), youngest brother of David Astor
David Astor
Francis David Langhorne Astor CH was an English newspaper publisher and member of the Astor family.-Early life and career:...
, is John Jacob Astor VII
Jakie Astor
Sir John Jacob "Jakie" Astor MBE was a British politician and sportsman and a member of the prominent Astor family....
, and the 3rd Baron Astor of Hever is John Jacob Astor VIII
John Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever
John Jacob Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever, DL is a British businessman and Conservative elected hereditary peer in the House of Lords...
. John Jacob Astor V is also sometimes referred to as John Jacob Astor III.