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Born William Waldorf Astor II in New York, New York, United States, he was the son of the extremely wealthy William Waldorf Astor (1848-1919), 1st Viscount Astor, and Mary Dahlgren Paul (1858-1894). He grew up in New York City but at age 12 the family moved to England where he would receive an education at the exclusive Eton College in Windsor in Berkshire and at New College, Oxford.
The family's wealth allowed Waldorf Astor many choices but his interest in politics would dominate his life. In 1906, he married the American divorcee, Nancy Witcher Langhorne and a few years later entered politics, winning in the election of 1910 as a Conservative Party member of the British House of Commons for the Sutton division of Plymouth, England.
As a wedding gift, Astor's father had given him and his bride the family estate at Cliveden. There, Nancy Astor undertook a redecoration of the house, installing electricity for the first time. The young couple's lavish entertaining at the estate is often referred to as the 'golden period' at Cliveden when guests such as Winston ChurchillChurchill" redirects here. For other meanings, see Churchill (disambiguation). The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KG, OM, CH, FRS ( November 30, 1874 January 24, 1965) was a British politician, best known as Prime Minister of the U, Arthur BalfourArthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour ( 25 July, 1848 March 19, 1930) was a British statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Early Life The eldest son of James Maitland Balfour of Whittingehame, Haddingtonshire, and of Lady Blanche Gascoyne, Rudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling ( December 30, 1865 January 18, 1936) was a British author and poet, born in India. He is best known for the children's story The Jungle Book ( 1894), the Indian spy novel Kim ( 1901), the poems " Gunga Din" ( 1892) and " If ( 1895), Lord Curzon of KedlestonGeorge Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston ( January 11, 1859 March 20, 1925), was a conservative British statesman and sometime Viceroy of India. Eldest son of the 4th Baron Scarsdale, rector of Kedleston, Derbyshire, Curzon was educated a, and others of the British elite gathered for parties, fox_huntingFox hunting is a form of hunting for foxes using a pack of scent hounds. The pack is often followed by riders on horses. Like all forms of hunting, fox hunting is a blood sport, and as such it is controversial and has been outlawed in some countries., and other pastimes of the wealthy. This prominent circle became known as the " Cliveden SetThe Cliveden Set were a British 1930s group of prominent individuals in favour of the appeasement of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. The name comes from Cliveden, the stately home in Buckinghamshire, which was then home to Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor." and were very influential over the affairs of state. Waldorf Astor was a friend and supporter of Prime Minister David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM ( January 17, 1863 March 26, 1945) was a British statesman and the last Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Upbringing Although born in Manchester in 1863, David Lloyd George was a Welsh-spe and during World War IWorld War I (also known as the First World War , the Great War the War of the Nations and the "War to End All Wars") was a world conflict occurring from 1914 to 1918. No previous conflict had mobilized so many soldiers, or involved so many in the field of he served as the prime minister's parliamentary secretary.
On the death of his father, Waldorf Astor inherited a fortune that included the influential newspaper, The Observer. In addition, as the eldest son, he received the hereditary title of Lord Astor and automatically became a member of the House of Lords. This appointment required him to give up his seat in the House of Commons and his wife Nancy then became the party's candidate in the required by-election. In December of 1919, she became the second woman elected, and the first to take a seat, in the House of Commons. She would be re-elected many times, serving until 1945.
Waldorf Astor was active in charitable causes and served as a governor of the Peabody Trust and Guy's Hospital. Still involved in political matters, he was Chairman of the Royal Institute of International Affairs from 1935 to 1949 and also served as Lord Mayor of Plymouth from 1939 to 1944. He took over a successful thoroughbred racing stable from his father and expanded it further, winning many important races throughout Britain including the prestigious St. Leger Stakes in 1927.
During the military buildup by Adolf Hitler in Germany in the 1930s, the Astors understood the weakness of the British military, believing that war would most certainly bring defeat. Their promotion of entente with Germany was seen by some as appeasement of Hitler and led to much criticism of the family. However, Nancy Astor was often fiercely critical of the Nazis, and Waldorf had protested to Hitler about his treatment of the Jews. In 1940, they urged Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to resign and supported Churchill as his replacement. His son David who became owner/editor of The Observer newspaper in 1948, would never forgive Claud Cockburn and his newssheet "The Week" for spreading lies about the " Cliveden Set".
Although the Astor family donated the Cliveden Estate, Cliveden-on-Thames, Berkshire, England, to the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, Waldorf Astor lived there until his death in 1952 and his wife remained until her passing in 1964.
Children:
| Preceded by: William Waldorf Astor | Viscount Astor | Followed by: William Waldorf Astor |