Lieutenant-Colonel John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever DL (20 May 1886 – 19 July 1971) was a British military officer, statesman, a newspaper proprietor, and a member of the prominent Astor family. He is sometimes referred to as John Jacob Astor V, especially in standard genealogies of the Astor family.
Lord Astor of Hever was born in New York City in 1886, the fourth child of William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (1848–1919) and Mary Dahlgren Paul (1858–1894). He was a boy of five when his family left New York to live in England. He was raised on an estate purchased by his father at Cliveden-on-Thames in Buckinghamshire and was educated at Eton College and at New College, Oxford.
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| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Rackets | ||
| Gold | 1908 London | Men's doubles |
| Bronze | 1908 London | Men's singles |
John Jacob Astor 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.
On 28 August 1916 married Violet Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, (28 May 1889 – 3 January 1965), the daughter of the 4th Earl of Minto. They had three children:
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.
On his father's death in 1919, John Astor 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, John 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 Astor 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.
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 and Violet Astor 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.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Thomas Andrew Polson |
Member of Parliament for Dover 1922–1945 |
Succeeded by John Thomas |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Astor of Hever 1956–1971 |
Succeeded by Gavin Astor |
| Media offices | ||
| New office | Chairman of the General Council of the Press 1953–1956 |
Succeeded by Linton Andrews |