Astor Family

Astor Family
Wealthy American family.

The Astor family achieved prominence in business, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With ancestral roots in the Italian Alps, the Astors settled in Germany, first appearing in North America in the 18th century with John Jacob Astor, one of the richest people in history, who made his wealth in the fur trade.

Drug trade

John Jacobs Astor joined the opium smuggling trade in 1816 when his American Fur Company bought 10 tons of Turkish opium and smuggled it into Canton. Seeking other sources of profit while faced with woes in the fur trade, he became the first American known to have entered the contraband Chinese opium trade and made a substantial profit before abruptly exiting the business three years later.

 

Known members

All 5 of the members already have pages here:

Member	Description
David Astor	The Observer Editor for over 25 years, attended 2 Bilderbergs in the 1950s
John Jacob Astor	The first multi-millionaire in the US
Nancy Astor	The first woman to take her seat in Parliament, a key member of the Cliveden Set
Waldorf Astor	Multi-millionaire UK deep politician, Chair of Chatham House ...
William Waldorf Astor

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