Colonel John Jacob Astor IV (born 13 July 1864 in Rhinebeck, New York) was one of the wealthiest men in the world and a First Class passenger on the Titanic. A property developer and real estate magnate, he also wrote a semi-scientific novel and held several patents for mechanical inventions.
Astor boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg on 10 April 1912, travelling on ticket PC 17757 (£224 10s 6d). He occupied a suite on C-Deck together with his young second wife, Madeleine Force, whom he had married in September 1911 and who was pregnant at the time of the voyage. His first marriage, to Ava Willing, had ended in divorce in 1909; the couple had two children, Vincent and Ava Alice. The Astors travelled with a small entourage: valet Victor Robbins, lady’s maid Rosalie Bidois, nurse Caroline Louise Endres, and the family’s Airedale terrier, Kitty.
When the Titanic struck the iceberg on the night of 14 April 1912, Astor helped his pregnant wife into Lifeboat 4 but was not permitted to join her, as the „women and children first“ protocol was being enforced. He reportedly remarked that the ship’s solid decks seemed safer than a small lifeboat, and remained aboard.
Astor did not survive the sinking. His body was recovered on 22 April 1912 by the cable ship Mackay-Bennett (body #124), identified by his clothing, including a blue serge suit and a belt with a gold buckle. He was buried at Trinity Cemetery in New York City on 4 May 1912.
