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
John Jacob Astor IV the Volunteer Army in November 1898. During the war, he allowed his yacht "Nourmahal" to be used by the U.S. government. He appeared in the films "President McKinley's Inspection of Camp Wikoff" (1898) and "Col. John Jacob Astor, Staff and Veterans of the Spanish–American War" (1899). As a result of his military service, Astor was entitled to the Spanish Campaign Medal. After the war, Astor was often referred to as "Colonel Astor." Astor was a member of several military and hereditary societies. He was an early member of the New York Society of Colonial Wars and was assigned membership number