Brooke Astor Brooke Astor Roberta Brooke Astor (née Russell; March 30, 1902 – August 13, 2007) was an American philanthropist, socialite, and writer who was the chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation, which had been established by her third husband, Vincent Astor, son of John Jacob Astor IV and great-great grandson of America's first multi-millionaire, John Jacob Astor. Brooke Astor was the author of two novels and two volumes of personal memoirs. Brooke was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the only child of John Henry Russell, Jr. (1872–1947), the 16th Commandant of the Marine Corps, and his wife, Mabel Cecile Hornby Howard
William Backhouse Astor Jr. 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 Astor, serving as the head of New York society during the Gilded Age. William Backhouse Astor Jr. was born on July 12, 1829, in New York City, New York. He was the middle son