John Jacob Astor IV: The Richest Passenger on the Titanic

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J.J. Astor walking his dog, Kitty. They would both die on the Titanic.

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Blog Created: 9-10-2023

Last Updated: 9-11-2023

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John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sinking of the Titanic during the early hours of April 15, 1912. Astor was the richest passenger aboard the RMS Titanic and was thought to be among the richest people in the world at that time, with a net worth of roughly $87 million (equivalent to $2.64 billion in 2022) when he died.

Early life, education, and family ~

John Jacob Astor IV was born on July 13, 1864, at his parents' country estate of Ferncliff in Rhinebeck, New York. He was the youngest of five children and only son of William Backhouse Astor Jr., a businessman, collector, and racehorse breeder/owner, and Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn, a Dutch-American socialite. His four elder sisters were Emily, Helen, Charlotte, and Carrie.

John was a great-grandson of German–American fur-trader John Jacob Astor and Sarah Cox Todd, whose fortune made the Astor family one of the wealthiest in the United States. Astor's paternal grandfather William Backhouse Astor Sr. was a prominent real estate businessman. Through his paternal grandmother, Margaret Alida Rebecca Armstrong, Astor was also a great-grandson of Senator John Armstrong Jr. and Alida Livingston of the Livingston family. His maternal grandparents were Abraham Schermerhorn, a wealthy merchant, and socialite Helen Van Courtlandt White. His sister Helen's husband was diplomat James Roosevelt "Rosey" Roosevelt, half-brother of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the Roosevelt family. Another sister, named Carrie, was a noted philanthropist and the wife of Marshall Orme Wilson (brother of banker Richard Thornton Wilson Jr. and socialite Grace (née Wilson) Vanderbilt). Astor was also a first cousin of William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor, with whom his mother had a notorious feud resulting in William's removal to England.

John Jacob Astor I.

Astor attended St Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and later attended Harvard College. He went by the name "Jack". His ungainly appearance and the perception that he was an aimless dilettante led one newspaper to give him the name "Jack Ass-tor".

Career ~

Among Astor's accomplishments was A Journey in Other Worlds (1894), a science-fiction novel about life in the year 2000 on the planets Saturn and Jupiter. He also patented several inventions, including a bicycle brake in 1898, a "vibratory disintegrator" used to produce gas from peat moss, and a pneumatic road-improver, and he helped develop a turbine engine.

Like generations of Astors before him, he also made millions in real estate. In 1897, Astor built the Astoria Hotel, "the world's most luxurious hotel", in New York City, adjoining the Waldorf Hotel owned by Astor's cousin and rival, William. The complex became known as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The Waldorf-Astoria would later be the host location to the U.S. inquiries into the sinking of the RMS Titanic, on which Astor died.

Military service ~

From 1894 to 1896, he was a colonel on the military staff of New York Governor Levi P. Morton. Shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in 1898, Astor personally financed a volunteer artillery unit known as the "Astor Battery", which served in the Philippines. In May 1898, Astor was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Volunteers and served as an officer on the staff of Major General William Shafter in Cuba, during the Santiago Campaign. He was later given a brevet (war/temporary promotion) to colonel in recognition of his services. He was mustered out of the Volunteer Army in November 1898.

J.J. Astor IV in military uniform.

During the war, he allowed his yacht Nourmahal to be used by the U.S. government. He appeared in the films President McKinley's Inspection of Camp Wikoff (1898) and Col. John Jacob Astor, Staff and Veterans of the Spanish–American War (1899). As a result of his military service, Astor was entitled to the Spanish Campaign Medal. After the war, Astor was often referred to as "Colonel Astor."

Astor was a member of several military and hereditary societies. He was an early member of the New York Society of Colonial Wars and was assigned membership number 138. He was also a member of the Military Order of Foreign Wars, Society of the Army of Santiago de Cuba, and the Society of the American Wars of the United States.

Personal life ~

On February 17, 1891, Astor married socialite Ava Lowle Willing, a daughter of Edward Shippen Willing and Alice Barton. The couple had two children:

William Vincent Astor (November 15, 1891 – February 3, 1959), businessman and philanthropist.

Ava Alice Muriel Astor (July 7, 1902 – July 19, 1956).

Astor and Willing divorced in November 1909. Compounding the scandal of their divorce was Astor's announcement that he would remarry. At the age of 47, Astor married 18-year-old socialite Madeleine Talmage Force, the sister of real estate businesswoman and socialite Katherine Emmons Force. Their parents were William Hurlbut Force and Katherine Arvilla Talmage. Astor and Force were married in his mother's ballroom at Beechwood, the family's Newport, Rhode Island, mansion. There was also much controversy over their 29-year age difference. His son Vincent despised Force, yet he served as best man at his father's wedding. The couple took an extended honeymoon in Europe and Egypt to wait for the gossip to calm down. Among the few Americans who did not spurn him at this time was Margaret Brown, later fictionalized as The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She accompanied the Astors to Egypt and France. After receiving a call to return to the United States, Brown accompanied the couple back home aboard RMS Titanic.

Residence ~

Astor's country estate, Ferncliff, was north of the town center in Rhinebeck, New York, with 1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometers) of Hudson River frontage in the picturesque Lower Hudson River Valley. The land had been purchased piecemeal by his father during the mid 19th century. Astor was born there.

Ferncliff, the Astor family's country estate in Rhinebeck, New York.

His father's Italianate mansion of 1864 was partly rebuilt in 1904 to designs by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White. The house retained its conservative exterior, and a separate sports pavilion in the Louis XVI style was built. This was Stanford White's last project before he died.

The "Ferncliff Casino" sports pavilion (later called "Astor Courts") reportedly housed the first residential indoor swimming pool in the U.S., an indoor tennis court with vaulting of Guastavino tile, two squash courts, and guest bedrooms. On the lower level, there was a bowling alley and a shooting range.

The estate was reduced to 50 acres (200,000 m2) and was renamed "Astor Courts", eventually becoming a wedding venue.

Titanic ~

While traveling, Madeleine Force Astor became pregnant. Wanting the child born in the U.S., the Astors boarded Titanic on her maiden voyage to New York. They embarked in Cherbourg, France, in first class and were the wealthiest passengers aboard. Accompanying the Astors were Astor's valet, Victor Robbins; Mrs. Astor's maid, Rosalie Bidois; and her nurse, Caroline Louise Endres. They also took their pet Airedale, Kitty. The Astors were deeply fond of their dog and had come close to losing her on a previous trip when she went missing in Egypt. Kitty did not survive the sinking. Shortly after Titanic hit the iceberg, New York lawyer Isaac Frauenthal saw Captain Edward J. Smith advise Astor to awaken his wife, as they might have to take to the boats. Astor informed his wife of the collision but told her the damage did not appear to be serious. Some time later, as the ship's lifeboats for first class were being manned, Astor remained unperturbed; he and his wife played with the mechanical horses in the gymnasium. At some point Astor is thought to have sliced the lining of an extra lifebelt with a pen knife to show his wife its contents, either to prove they were not of use or to reassure her that they were. He even declared: "We are safer here than in that little boat."

R.M.S. Titanic.

When Second Officer Charles Lightoller later arrived on A Deck to finish loading Lifeboat 4, Astor helped his wife, with her maid and nurse, into it. He then asked if he might join his wife because she was in "a delicate condition;" however, Lightoller told him men were not to be allowed to board until all the women and children had been loaded.

According to Titanic passenger Archibald Gracie IV, ~

"She was lifted up through the window, and her husband helped her on the other side, and when she got in, her husband was on one side of this window and I was on the other side, at the next window. I heard Mr Astor ask the second officer whether he would not be allowed to go aboard this boat to protect his wife. He said, "No, sir, no man is allowed on this boat or any of the boats until the ladies are off." Mr. Astor then said (something to the effect of) "Well, tell me the number of this boat so I may find her afterwards" and was told "Number 4.""

A news article posted in the Chicago Record Herald tells of Astor placing his wife into the final lifeboat then ordering Ida Sophia Hippach and her 17-year-old daughter Jean Gertrude to take the final two places before the boat was lowered away. After Lifeboat 4 was lowered at 1:55 am, Astor is said to have stood alone while others tried to free the remaining collapsible boats; he was last seen alive on the starboard bridge wing, smoking a cigarette with Jacques Futrelle. A mere half hour later, the ship disappeared beneath the ocean. Madeleine Force Astor, her nurse, and her maid survived. Colonel Astor, his valet, Victor Robbins, Kitty, and Futrelle did not.

In the aftermath, ships were sent out to retrieve the bodies from the site of the sinking; of the 1,517 passengers and crew who perished in the sinking, only 333 bodies were ever recovered. Astor's body was recovered on April 22 by the cable ship Mackay-Bennett. Astor was identified by the initials sewn on the label of his jacket. Among the items found on him was a gold pocket watch, which his son Vincent claimed and wore the rest of his life.

NO. 124 – MALE – ESTIMATED AGE 50 – LIGHT HAIR & MOUSTACHE.

CLOTHING – Blue serge suit; blue handkerchief with "A.V."; belt with gold buckle; brown boots with red rubber soles; brown flannel shirt; "J.J.A." on back of collar.

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.

FIRST CLASS. NAME- J.J. ASTOR IV.

In his memoir, Gracie claimed that he heard Astor's body was in a crushed condition. This led to popular belief that Astor was killed by the first funnel falling from the ship. Other reports were inconsistent: Captain Richard Roberts, the commander of Astor's yacht, said that apart from some slight discolouration by water, Astor's features were unharmed; however, Gerald Ross, an electrician on the Mackay-Bennett, reported that Astor's "face was swollen, one jaw was injured." Survivor Philip Mock was quoted as claiming to have seen Astor in the water clinging to a raft with William Thomas Stead. "Their feet became frozen," said Mock, "and they were forced to release their hold. Both were drowned."

Astor was buried in Trinity Church Cemetery in Manhattan, New York City. Four months after Titanic sank, Madeleine Astor gave birth to his second son, John Jacob "Jakey" Astor VI.

Estate ~

Astor left $69 million of his $85 million estate (equivalent to approximately $1.75 billion in 2017 dollars) to Vincent. This value included his Ferncliff country estate in Rhinebeck, New York, and his yacht, the Noma.

To Madeleine Force Astor, he left $100,000 as an outright bequest, as well as a $5 million trust fund from which she was provided an income. Additionally, she was given the use of his New York City mansion (840 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan) and all its furnishings, his Newport mansion (Beechwood) and all its furnishings, the pick of whichever luxury limousine she wanted from his collection, and five of his prized horses—as long as she did not remarry.

His daughter Ava (who lived with her mother, also named Ava) received a $10 million trust fund. Upon turning 21, John Jacob VI inherited the $3 million trust fund Astor had set aside for him.

Legacy ~

According to Walter Lord, "After [the Titanic] sank, the New York American broke the news on April 16 with a lead devoted almost entirely to John Jacob Astor; at the end it mentioned that 1800 others were also lost." Astor's prominence led to the creation of many exaggerated and unsubstantiated accounts about his actions during the sinking of the Titanic. One story alleges that he opened the ship's kennel and released the dogs, including his own beloved Airedale, Kitty; in another, he placed a woman's hat on a boy to make sure the child was able to get into a lifeboat. Another legend claims that after the ship hit the iceberg, he quipped, "I asked for ice, but this is ridiculous." These stories appeared in newspapers, magazines, and even books about the sinking. In reality, none of the claims about Astor's actions were substantiated, as nobody who recognized him survived other than the women who boarded lifeboats relatively early on. Wade wrote that the ice joke is almost certainly apocryphal, as Astor was not known for making jokes, and that the story about the hat (like many other "survivor stories" published shortly after the sinking) may have been invented by the reporter.

In popular culture ~

Astor's fame has made him a frequent character in films, literary, and stage works, especially in stories about the Titanic. German actor Karl Schönböck played Astor in the 1943 Nazi propaganda film Titanic. William Johnstone played Astor in the 1953 film Titanic, and in the 1997 version of Titanic he was played by Eric Braeden. In the 1996 miniseries, he was played by Canadian-born actor Scott Hylands. Astor was also portrayed by David Janssen in the 1979 film S.O.S. Titanic. He was played by Miles Richardson in the 2012 Titanic miniseries. Astor was portrayed by his great-grandson Gregory Todd Astor in an April 2012 production of Titanic: The Musical.

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From:

By David Belcher, Nov. 28, 2013. SPECIAL REPORT: WATCHES.

LONDON — When the millionaire John Jacob Astor IV helped his wife, the 18-year-old socialite Madeleine Talmage Force, onto a lifeboat as the Titanic began to sink on April 14, 1912, he was wearing his dinner suit, complete with his favorite personalized pocket watch. He was later seen smoking a cigarette as the ship began to list.

A pregnant Madeleine survived the sinking, as did her yet-to-be born son. Astor did not. He was the wealthiest and most famous of the more than 1,500 passengers and crew who died that night. When his body was found floating in the North Atlantic days later it was still clothed in the jacket that had his initials sewn into a pocket, with the watch still attached.

A hundred years later, the solid gold Waltham pocket watch, purchased in 1907 and engraved with the initials J.J.A., has become an object of controversy. John Miottel, a collector in California, says he bought it 15 years ago. But in March an heir of the Astor family announced that he owned a watch carried by John Jacob Astor IV at the time of his death, according to reports published in The New York Post, The Daily Mail of London and elsewhere.

Mr. Miottel, a real estate investor in Northern California who collects luxury ocean-liner memorabilia, said in a phone interview that he bought the Astor watch “in 1997 in a small auction house in Asheville, North Carolina, around the 85th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking when all the Titanic fans were celebrating aboard the Queen Mary in California.”

“The ironic thing is that almost nobody, including the Astor Foundation, knew about this watch at the time,” added Mr. Miottel, who owns two other Titanic-related watches. “There would have been a lot more bidders if they had.”

John Miottel with a watch owned by John Jacob Aster IV, who died when the Titanic sank.Credit...Larry Strong.

Trying to document its history, he visited the foundation in New York, in 1997. But “they knew nothing about the watch since it had been given to someone outside the family,” he said. “They were very excited to know about it.”

Mr. Miottel attended a performance of the musical “Titanic” on Broadway that same year and was invited backstage to show the timepiece. William Youmans, the actor playing John Jacob Astor IV, wore the watch during that evening’s performance, he said. Mr. Miottel has loaned the watch out to various Titanic exhibitions over the years, particularly in 2012, for the centennial of the Titanic’s sinking.

But questions surfaced in March when the Australian millionaire Clive Palmer, who is planning to build Titanic II, a $500-million replica, held a black-tie event in New York.

According to the media reports, the event was attended by Anthony D. Marshall, 89, an heir of the Astor estate, who announced that he wanted to sell — for $1 million — a pocket watch that John Jacob Astor IV was wearing when he died.

Mr. Marshall, however, has since made no public statement on the matter. He could not be reached for comment for this article and a lawyer who represented him this year, Kenneth E. Warner, did not respond to emails asking about Mr. Marshall’s March announcement.

Mr. Marshall was convicted in 2009 of conspiring to steal $60 million by forging the will of his mother, Brooke Astor, who died in 2007 at 105. She had inherited the bulk of John Jacob Astor IV’s estate through her third husband, his eldest son, Vincent.

Mr. Miottel said that the watch in his possession was, to his knowledge, the only one found on the body of John Jacob Astor IV and that he has documents to authenticate it, including an affidavit spelling out its history.

He said the documents show that Vincent Astor left the watch to a godson, William A. Dobbyn, the son of John Jacob Astor IV’s longtime executive secretary. Mr. Miottel said that he bought the watch after Mr. Dobbyn’s widow died and her heirs put it up for auction.

“Mrs. Dobbyn had a young cousin in Asheville in the auction business, so instead of going to Sotheby’s or Christie’s she took it to him,” he said. “She left a certified statement about the watch being given to her husband when he was christened.”

The two other pocket watches tied to the ship that Mr. Miottel owns say something about the personalities of the Titanic passengers or crew who once owned them. One belonged to a postal worker, Oscar Woody, who died in the sinking. Woody’s Ingersoll-Midgett pocket watch, with black ribbon and gold fob, is partially crushed and rusted by prolonged saltwater immersion, Mr. Miottel said, yet, oddly, it is accompanied by a mail routing slip in perfect condition.

Woody was wearing a cork life vest that kept him upright, with his upper body out of the water, Mr. Miottel said. The routing slip, an identifying document that accompanied each mail bundle to its destination, was found in an upper pocket of his jacket. But the watch attached to a lower pocket was submerged.

“Oscar was trying desperately, one would imagine, to save the mail,” Mr. Miottel said. “The Smithsonian postal museum still has a photograph of a couple of bags of mail that were never delivered.”

His favorite watch belonged to Harold Cottam, the 20-year-old operator of the Marconi radio aboard the Carpathia. Cottam was credited with saving hundreds of lives by picking up the Titanic’s distress calls just before going to bed that night.

“Cottam is the real hero of the Titanic rescue since he convinced the captain of the Carpathia that the unsinkable Titanic was sinking,” Mr. Miotell said. “He handled all of the radio traffic onboard the Carpathia that night and the next day, including Madeleine Astor, who was trying to communicate with her family back in New York.”

The pocket watch, which was given to Cottam — who died in 1984 — after the shipwreck by his former school in Britain, is engraved, “Presented to Mr. Harold T. Cottam by Friends of Southwall Wesleyan Church & Schools in appreciation of faithful duties as Wireless Operator on Carpathia in Connection With Wreck of Titanic 1912.”

Mr. Miottel, who purchased it in the mid-1990s, said it came with a lot of material, such as photographs of Cottam and a cassette recording of his account of that night.

For Mr. Miottel, the three watches are not simply memorabilia. They represent each owner’s place in society, and in a tragedy that continues to fascinate.

“A watch is a symbol of your standing in life and your taste,” Mr. Miottel said. “I think the Astor watch is the ultimate example of ocean liner memorabilia.”

He added: “People put things away that are personal to them, but then those items become priceless collectibles. These are such examples of how the Titanic tale just keeps on being retold.”

A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 29, 2013 in The New York Times International Edition. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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NYPL Digital Collections.

John Jacob Astor IV as Henry IV of France.

Astor with his wife, Madeleine Force Astor leave their New York City home.

Astor with his wife, Madeleine Force Astor, and their Airedale, Kitty

Astor walking Kitty in New York City. They would both fall victim to the Titanic.

John Jacob Astor IV and his first wife Alva at the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

John Jacob Astor IV and Alva Astor at the 1908 grandstand on the Long Island Motor Parkway.

Astor, at left, waiting for the train that would take him to the Titanic for boarding.

John Jacob Astor IV in 1909.

Ava Willing Ribblesdale. 1868-1958. J.J. Astor's 1st wife.

Ava Alice Muriel Astor at age 10 in 1912. Daughter of J.J. and Ava Astor.

Avas Alice Muriel Astor.

Madeleine Talmage Force Dick, 1893-1940. J.J. Astor's 2nd wife and widow.

Madeleine Astor.

Madeleine Astor holding her baby who she named after her late husband.

Caroline Schermerhorn Astor.

Violet Mary Astor.

Carrie Astor.

Portrait of Carrie's husband Orme, by Léon Bonnat, 1894.

Ferncliff, the Astor family's country estate in Rhinebeck, New York.

Beechwood, the Astors' summer home in Newport, Rhode Island.

840 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

Astor's 5th Ave. Mansion.

Astor was an avid driver and owned a fleet of motor cars.

Astor takes the wheel as his driver looks on.

This 1910 Renault town car belonged to John Jacob Astor IV. Credit Dragone Classic Motorcars.

Manny Dragone, president and chief executive of Dragone Classic Motorcars, with John Jacob Astor's 1910 Renault. Credit Jim Motavalli.

Titanic. Queenstown, Ireland April 11,1912.

Gold Waltham pocket watch similar to the one Astor wore aboard RMS Titanic.

Envelope to letter in Astor's handwriting.

John Jacob Astor IV hand signed document of consent dated 13th December 1895, relating to purchase of property.

White Star Line stationery signed by Astor.

Astor's signature.

Eric Braeden as Astor in the movie Titanic 1997.

Mechanicville NY Saturday Mercury 16 Sept 1911.

Madeleine Astor 1911.

The New York Herald report of the sinking of Titanic. Most reports featured the Astors in the headlines.

J.J. Aster's funeral.

Caroline Astor arranged for a cenotaph at Trinity Church cemetery.

J.J. Astor's body was entombed in the Astor Family Mausoleum at Trinity Church Cemetery.

Madeleine Talmage Force Dick - Mausoleum at Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum

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