The Biographical Dictionary of America/Astor, John Jacob (merchant)

ASTOR, John Jacob, merchant, was born at Walldorf near Heidelberg. Germany, July 17, 1768. He was the son of a butcher and innkeeper at Walldorf. and at the age of sixteen followed the example of his elder brothers and left home to seek his fortune. In 1779 he repairedto London, and there obtained employment in the house of Astor & Broadwood, manufacturers of pianos and flutes, where an elder brother was already established, their uncle being head of the firm. In 1783 he took ship for the United States, where his brother Henry had settled as a butcher in New York, having as his sole capital a small lot of musical instruments. He became interested in the fur trade from the accounts of a German furrier, whose acquaintance he made on shipboard. Resolving to learn all that he could of the business, he obtained a situation in the shop of a furrier in New York, and later commenced business for himself on Water street. Industry, enterprise, and business sagacity were marked qualities in the young trader. He visited London and connected himself with several of the large fur houses, and got his uncle to appoint him agent of Astor & Broadwood in America. He opened the first wareroom for the .sale of musical instruments in the United States. He married Sarah Todd, a connection of the Brevoort family, a woman of foresight and ability, who shared in his business enterprises, and before the end of the century they had amassed a fortune of $250,000. He became a shipowner, carrying his furs to Europe in his own vessels and bringing profitable return cargoes. In 1809 he applied to Congress for aid in establishing trading posts from the lakes to the Pacific, as a means of advancing civilization and of rendering American trade free from the monopoly of the Hudson Bay company. A part of his scheme was to purchase one of the Sandwich Islands, and there establish a line of vessels to trade with India and China. Two expeditions were sent to open communication with the Indians of the Pacific coast, and the trading settlement "Astoria" was established at the mouth of the Columbia river, but the hostilities of 1812 supervened and the plans were dropped. At the close of the war of 1812 Mr. Astor resumed his trading operations, greatly extending his bases of action, but never recurring to his plan of western settlement. He invested his surplus in land which he foresaw would later be merged in the growing city of New York, and as the time grew ripe, erected many substantial buildings. He retired from active participation in business affairs about 1835, and passed the remainder of his life in the performance of unostentatious acts of benevolence. Besides many liberal gifts to worthy objects during his lifetime, he left many bequests, the foremost of these being $400,000 to found the Astor library, New York, and $50,000 to found the Astor House, Walldorf, Germany, an institution for the education and nurture of needy children, and an asylum for the aged poor. The house was opened in 1854. His property, which had attained immense proportions, at his death was mainly left to his younger son William Backhouse; the elder son, John Jacob, being demented, was cared for and maintained from the income of a fund of $100,000 set apart for that purpose. John Jacob Astor died of old age at his home in New York city, March 29, 1848.