Person    | Male  Born 31/3/1848  Died 18/10/1919

William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount

Born New York City into an extremely wealthy family. Lived in Rome in his mid-thirties where he developed a life-long taste for the arts.  On his father’s death in 1890 he built the luxury Waldorf Hotel on the site of the New York family home. (His cousin, John Jacob Astor IV, who built the adjoining Astoria Hotel was killed on the Titanic.)

Moved with his family to London in 1891, renting Lansdowne House until 1893 when he bought the Cliveden estate in Buckinghamshire.  In 1895 he had 2 Temple Place built, by architect John Loughborough Pearson, as his London residence and estate office. Owned the Pall Mall Gazette, Pall Mall Magazine and The Observer. 1899 became a British citizen.  1908 opened the Waldorf Hotel in London.  In 1906 gave Cliveden to his eldest son Waldorf as a wedding present on his marriage to Nancy Langhorne who became Lady Astor. Died at home in Brighton.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount

Creations i

Sante Maria weather vane

Made of beaten copper.  War-damaged in 1944 it was restored and re-erected in...

Read More

Other Subjects

Ruy Barbosa

Ruy Barbosa

Born Ruy Barbosa D'Oliveira in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. A defender of civil liberties, he fought for the abolition of slavery in Brazil. He fled to London after being accused of being a conspirat...

Person, Journalism / Publishing, Law, Politics & Administration, Race Issues, Brazil

1 memorial
Henry Blackburn

Henry Blackburn

Editor of 'London Society', ‘an illustrated magazine of light and amusing literature’. He was close friends with Randolph Caldecott whose illustrations often appeared in his publications.

Person, Journalism / Publishing

1 memorial
Spotlight

Spotlight

Publishes casting directories.

Group, Cinema, Journalism / Publishing, Theatre, TV & Radio

1 memorial
Charles Prestwich Scott

Charles Prestwich Scott

Born Bath, Somerset. Editor and eventually proprietor of the Manchester Guardian. He was a Liberal member of parliament from 1895 to 1905 and embraced the causes of female suffrage and a Jewish nat...

Person, Journalism / Publishing, Politics & Administration

1 memorial