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William Astor was born in New York City, the only child of John Jacob Astor III (1822-1890) and Charlotte Augusta Gibbes (c.1825 -1887). He was educated in Germany and in Italy before studying law at Columbia University. In 1878 he married Mary Dahlgren Paul (1858-1894) and went into politics, serving as a New York state assemblyman and senator. He was defeated in his bid for a seat in the United States Congress and in 1881 was appointed ambassador to Italy serving there until 1885. While living in Rome, Astor developed a life-long passion for art and sculpture.
On November 7, 1890, plans were filed with the New York City Building Department to construct a new hotel on the site of William Astor's residence. In 1891, after a family feud with his aunt Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor over matters of social seniority, Astor and his family moved to England, a decision that was published throughout all the major newspapers. Although the owner of the Waldorf Hotel built where his home had stood, William Astor visited it only once in his lifetime. In 1897, his cousin, John Jacob Astor IV (1864-1912) built the Astoria Hotel adjoining the Waldorf, and the complex then became known as the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.
Arriving in England, at first Astor rented Lansdowne House in LondonLondon is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England, and with over seven million inhabitants in the Greater London area, is the second-most populous conurbation in Europe (after Moscow). From being Londinium the capital of the Roman province of Bri until 1893 when he purchased a country estate at Cliveden-on-ThamesCliveden is a mansion in Berkshire (though until the county borders changed in 1974 it was in Buckinghamshire) with an intriguing history. The house overlooks the River Thames. The present house, which is now a hotel owned by the National Trust, was built in TaplowTaplow is a village near Maidenhead, in England. It is in Buckinghamshire. The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Taeppa's hill'. It was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Thapeslau''. Buckinghamshire., BerkshireFor other places named Berkshire, see: Berkshire (disambiguation Berkshire (pronounced Barkshe(e)r sometimes abbreviated to Berks is a county in the south of England, to the west of London and also bordering on Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Greater London from Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of WestminsterHugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster ( 13 October 1825 22 December 1899) was created Duke of Westminster on 27 February 1874, the most recent person neither born into nor related by marriage to the British Royal Family to be advanced to the highe. In 1899 Astor became a British citizen and in 1903 acquired Hever CastleHever Castle in Kent, England, was the seat of the Boleyn family. Originally a farmhouse, it was built in the 13th century and converted into a manor in 1462 by Geoffrey Boleyn, who served as Lord Mayor of London. The remains of the timber dwelling can st near EdenbridgeEdenbridge can refer to either of the following: Edenbridge a town in the Weald of Kent, England. Edenbridge a symphonic metal band from Austria., KentThis article is about the English county of Kent. See also Kent (disambiguation). Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. The county town is Maidstone. Kent has land borders with East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London, and a defined boundary wi about 30 miles south of London. The huge estate, built in 1270 was where Anne Boleyn lived as a child. William Waldorf Astor invested a great deal of time and money to restore the castle, building what is known as the "Tudor Village" and creating a lake and lavish gardens. In 1905 he gave his son William Waldorf Astor II and his new daughter-in-law, the former Nancy Langhorne , the Cliveden estate as a wedding present.
With ambitions to be part of the literary world, Astor wrote two novels, became the owner of the Pall Mall Gazette and Pall Mall Magazine, and in 1911 purchased the London Sunday Observer. An avid lover of thoroughbred horse racing, he acquired a large stable of horses that won a number of important British races.
As a citizen in England, William Waldorf Astor used his great wealth for numerous public causes, especially during World War I for which King George V rewarded him with a baronetcy in 1916 and a year later made him 1st Viscount Astor. He died in Brighton, Sussex, England.
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| Preceded by: New Creation | Viscount Astor | Followed by: Waldorf Astor |