John Jacob Astor V (1886 - 1971)

Born 20 May 1886 in New York City, New York County, New York, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Violet (Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound) Astor — married 28 Aug 1916 in Paddington, London, England

Descendants

Died 19 Jul 1971 at age 85 in Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

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Biography

John Astor V is Notable.

John represented Great Britain in Racquets at the 1908 Summer Olympic Games in London

John Jacob Astor V represented Great Britain in rackets at the 1908 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the men's doubles competition together with Vane Pennell, and winning bronze in the men's singles event. He served in the Life Guards and was Aide-de-Camp to Baron Hardinge, Viceroy of India between 1911 and 1914. He served in the British army during World War I, rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel and was awarded the Légion d'Honneur as a Chevalier. He held the office of Lieutenant of the City of London in 1926. He was Honorary Colonel of the Kent and Sussex Royal Guard Artillery, between 1927 and 1946 and Honorary Colonel of the 23rd London Regiment, between 1928 and 1949. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant of Kent from 1936 to 1962 and was Lieutenant-Colonel of the 5th Battalion, City of London (Home Guard) between 1940 and 1944. He was a director of the Great Western Railway between 1929 and 1946. He held the office of Justice of the Peace for Kent between 1929 and 1962. He was a director of Hambros Bank between 1934 and 1960. He was Vice-Chairman of Phoenix Insurance between 1941 and 1952 and Chairman of between 1952 and 1958. He was a director of Barclays Bank between 1942 and 1952.

Upon his father's death in 1919, John Jacob V inherited Hever Castle near Edenbridge, Kent where he lived the life of an English country gentleman. In 1922, he purchased The Times newspaper following the death of its owner, Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe. During his tenure as head of The Times, Lord Astor had the newspaper sponsor Edmund Hillary's expedition that made the first successful climb to the summit of Mount Everest. Astor remained chairman of the paper until 1959 when his son Gavin took over. In 1966, The Times was sold to Canadian newspaper tycoon, Roy Thomson.

In addition to his newspaper business, John Jacob V served in politics, as Alderman of the London County Council between 1922 and 1925, and in the Parliament of the United Kingdom for 23 years as Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) for Dover from 1922 to 1945. On 21 January 1956 he was created Baron Astor of Hever, of Hever Castle, co. Kent. In 1962, he moved from England to France. On his death in 1971 (in Cannes, France), selected artworks from the family's vast collection were bequeathed to the National Gallery including the prized "Thames below Westminster" by Claude Monet.

John Jacob V and Violet are buried together on the grounds of Hever Castle, which, since 1983, has been owned by Broadland Properties Limited and is a major tourist attraction. Eldest son Gavin succeeded him as Baron.

Sources

• "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:3YQX-DPZ : accessed 9 November 2015), John J Astor in household of William W Astor, St George Hanover Square, London, England; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 12, London county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
• "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26X1-VGC : 13 December 2014), John J Astor and null, 1916; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1916, quarter 3, vol. 1A, p. 54, Paddington, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
• John Jacob Astor 1st Baron of Hever