John Astor (26 September 1923 – 27 December 1987) was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician.

Early life

John was the youngest of three sons born to John Jacob Astor V, 1st Baron Astor of Hever (1886–1971) and Lady Violet Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (1889–1965). He had two elder brothers,

Gavin Astor Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever (1 June 1918 – 28 June 1984), was an English soldier, publisher, peer, and member of the Astor family. Biography Astor was the eldest son of John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever (1886–1971), an ...

, who inherited his father's barony, and Hugh Astor. His mother had two children, Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice, and George Petty-Fitzmaurice, from her first marriage to Lord Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice who was killed in action at

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...

. His elder half-brother George later became the 8th Marquess of Lansdowne His paternal grandparents were American born

William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor William Waldorf "Willy" Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (31 March 1848 – 18 October 1919) was an American-British attorney, politician, businessman (hotels and newspapers), and philanthropist. Astor was a scion of the very wealthy Astor family of ...

, and his wife, Mary Dahlgren Paul. His maternal grandparents were Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto and his wife Lady Mary Caroline Grey. He was educated at Summerfields and

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

Career

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was a Berkshire County Councillor from 1953 and an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

from 1960. Astor was elected as a

MP for Newbury in the 1964 general election. He was re-elected twice, in 1966 and

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

, but stood down before the first

February 1974 The following events occurred in February 1974: February 1, 1974 (Friday) *Joelma fire, A fire killed 177 people and injured 293 others in the 23-story Joelma Building at São Paulo in Brazil. Another 11 later died of their injuries. The bl ...

general election. In 1970, he was appointed to the position of Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Overseas Development.

Personal life

In 1950, he married Diana Kathleen Drummond (1926–1982), a daughter of

George Henry Drummond George Henry Drummond, also known as George Henry de Vere DrummondBurke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. volume 3, page 3105. was an English ...

and Helena Kathleen Holt. Helena was a niece of civil engineer

Herbert Samuel Holt Sir Herbert Samuel Holt (February 12, 1856 – September 29, 1941) was an Irish-born Canadian civil engineer who became a businessman, banker, and corporate director with a ruthless business reputation. He was President of the Royal Bank o ...

. They had three children, two sons and a daughter, including: * Elizabeth Kathleen Astor (born 1951) * John Richard Astor (1953–2016), who married Katherine Mary Darell in 1977. * George David Astor (born 1958), who married Marianne Julia Piroska Leche (1958-2019) in 1983. In 1982, he married Penelope Eve Bradford (d. 2006). They had no children and lived at Kirby House,

Inkpen Inkpen is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire southeast of Hungerford, most of the land of which is cultivated fields with scattered woodland was once part of a former forest of Savernake. Inkpen has boundaries with Wiltshire and Ha ...

, Berkshire. Astor died at Kirby House in Berkshire on 27 December 1987. Penelope died on 31 December 2006.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Astor, John 1923 births 1987 deaths

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

English people of American descent English people of German descent English people of Irish descent English people of Scottish descent Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Councillors in Berkshire Newbury, Berkshire People educated at Eton College Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 UK MPs 1970–1974 Younger sons of barons Livingston family