Waldorf, Maryland General Assembly of Maryland by an act changed the name to "Waldorf" in honor of William Waldorf Astor (1848–1919), the great-grandson of John Jacob Astor (1763–1848), who was born in Walldorf, Palatinate, Germany. On July 29, 1908, the city of Plumb Valley in Waseca County, Minnesota, changed its name to Waldorf after Waldorf, Maryland. Once a tobacco market village, Waldorf came to prominence in the 1950s as a gambling destination after slot machines were legalized in Charles County in 1949. The boom lasted until 1968 when gambling was once again outlawed. Its subsequent substantial growth as a residential community began
William Backhouse Astor Jr. Episcopalian, was buried in Trinity Church Cemetery in New York City, New York. He is one of several responsible for opening up the tourist trade in Florida. His widow died years later in 1908. William Backhouse Astor Jr. William Backhouse Astor Jr. (July 12, 1829 – April 25, 1892) was a businessman, racehorse breeder/owner, and yachtsman who was a prominent member of the Astor family. Astor's elder brother financier and philanthropist John Jacob Astor III became head of the English line of Astors, and William Jr. was head of the male American line of Astors with his wife, Caroline Schermerhorn