15-04-2012, 13:42
Of all the casualties on the Titanic, the wealthiest and most famous was John Jacob Astor IV.
Astor (b 1864) was the Bill Gates of his day. A businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor and writer, he had an estimated fortune that in today's money would be worth around £70 billion. His interests were so diverse that he had written a best selling science fiction novel, patented a revolutionary new type of bicycle brake, designed a turbine engine and built the Astoria hotel in New York (the neighbouring hotel was owned by his cousin Waldorf and they eventually combined to become the Waldorf-Astoria). He had seen action in the Spanish-American War in 1898 and was a prominent member of the Republican Party.
In 1909 Astor divorced his first wife Ava after what was generally regarded as an unhappy marriage. Divorce was still regarded as a taboo in many circles but Astor's wealth and position in society protected him from most of the fallout. Or at least it did, until in 1911 the 47 year old Astor announced that he was remarrying, this time to the 18 year old Madelaine Force. His new wife was younger than his son.
This was a step too far for the great and the good in New York Society and no matter how much money he had, the Astors found themselves being shunned by the social elite. Many even declined invitations to the wedding so the newlyweds embarked on a year-long extended honeymoon around Europe and Egypt whilst the fuss died down. Unfortunately, as things turned out, Madelaine fell pregnant whilst abroad and it was the desire that the child be born in America that caused them to cut short their trip and return home early.
Madelaine survived, having been put in a lifeboat by her husband who waved goodbye to her and promised that he would follow in a later boat, but Astor never made it off the ship.
His body was found by one of the recovery vessels on April 22nd. The post-mortem concluded that he had probably been killed outright by a large falling object which landed on his head as the ship listed.
The log of his personal possessions found on his body makes interesting reading:
"EFFECTS – Gold watch; cuff links, gold with diamond; diamond ring with three stones; £225 in English notes; $2440 in notes; £5 in gold; 7s. in silver; 5 ten franc pieces; gold pencil; pocketbook."
The bulk of his estate was left to his son. Madelaine was left two houses and a substantial trust fund which would have given her a very comfortable living but it came with the proviso that she did not remarry. Their baby was born in August 1912 and named John Jacob after his father, but five years later she married the industrialist William Dick and gave up her claim to the Astor fortune. That marriage lasted for 15 years but ended in divorce in Reno in 1933.
Madelaine married for a third time in 1936 to the boxer-turned-actor Enzo Fiermonte but that marriage only lasted for a couple of years before a another trip to Nevada was on the cards.
She died of heart disease in 1940 at the age of 47. The same age as John Jacob Astor when he died on the Titanic.
Astor (b 1864) was the Bill Gates of his day. A businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor and writer, he had an estimated fortune that in today's money would be worth around £70 billion. His interests were so diverse that he had written a best selling science fiction novel, patented a revolutionary new type of bicycle brake, designed a turbine engine and built the Astoria hotel in New York (the neighbouring hotel was owned by his cousin Waldorf and they eventually combined to become the Waldorf-Astoria). He had seen action in the Spanish-American War in 1898 and was a prominent member of the Republican Party.
In 1909 Astor divorced his first wife Ava after what was generally regarded as an unhappy marriage. Divorce was still regarded as a taboo in many circles but Astor's wealth and position in society protected him from most of the fallout. Or at least it did, until in 1911 the 47 year old Astor announced that he was remarrying, this time to the 18 year old Madelaine Force. His new wife was younger than his son.
This was a step too far for the great and the good in New York Society and no matter how much money he had, the Astors found themselves being shunned by the social elite. Many even declined invitations to the wedding so the newlyweds embarked on a year-long extended honeymoon around Europe and Egypt whilst the fuss died down. Unfortunately, as things turned out, Madelaine fell pregnant whilst abroad and it was the desire that the child be born in America that caused them to cut short their trip and return home early.
Madelaine survived, having been put in a lifeboat by her husband who waved goodbye to her and promised that he would follow in a later boat, but Astor never made it off the ship.
His body was found by one of the recovery vessels on April 22nd. The post-mortem concluded that he had probably been killed outright by a large falling object which landed on his head as the ship listed.
The log of his personal possessions found on his body makes interesting reading:
"EFFECTS – Gold watch; cuff links, gold with diamond; diamond ring with three stones; £225 in English notes; $2440 in notes; £5 in gold; 7s. in silver; 5 ten franc pieces; gold pencil; pocketbook."
The bulk of his estate was left to his son. Madelaine was left two houses and a substantial trust fund which would have given her a very comfortable living but it came with the proviso that she did not remarry. Their baby was born in August 1912 and named John Jacob after his father, but five years later she married the industrialist William Dick and gave up her claim to the Astor fortune. That marriage lasted for 15 years but ended in divorce in Reno in 1933.
Madelaine married for a third time in 1936 to the boxer-turned-actor Enzo Fiermonte but that marriage only lasted for a couple of years before a another trip to Nevada was on the cards.
She died of heart disease in 1940 at the age of 47. The same age as John Jacob Astor when he died on the Titanic.