Matthew Astor Wilks acre estate known as Cruickston Park and mansion designed by Detlef Lienau. Through his mother, Wilks was great-grandson of America's first millionaire John Jacob Astor, the fur trader and real estate magnet. Among his first cousins were DeLancey Astor Kane, Woodbury Kane, S. Nicholson Kane, and John Jacob Astor IV. His father, an English gentleman, was the son of a reverend and was born in London. Wilks, who inherited several million dollars from his family, began buying up property in lower Manhattan in 1876. He torn down the various mixed buildings and commissioned architect Charles W. Clinton to build a
Vincent Astor Vincent Astor William Vincent Astor (November 15, 1891 – February 3, 1959) was a businessman, philanthropist, and member of the prominent Astor family. Called Vincent, he was born in New York City on November 15, 1891. He was the son of John Jacob Astor IV, millionaire and inventor and his first wife, Ava Lowle Willing, an heiress from Philadelphia. He graduated from St. George's School, in Middletown, Rhode Island, in 1910 and attended Harvard University from 1911 to 1912, leaving school without graduating. Like his father, Astor belonged to the New York Society of Colonial Wars. He served as commodore