Henry Astor
Four members of the Astor family were named Henry:
1. Henry Astor (died 1833) was the brother of furrier and 18th century New York City real estate mogul John Jacob Astor.
Born in Walldorf, near Heidelberg to butcher Johann Jacob Astor and Maria Magdalena, Henry's primary venture was a butcher shop (in 1776) on the Bowery in Manhattan, from which, along with other investments he was able to establish sizeable wealth. Astor died in 1833 and gave his fortune to his nephew William Backhouse Astor, Sr..
2. Henry Astor (born 1797, died 1799) son of John Jacob Astor.
3. Henry Astor (born 1832, died 1918), son of William Backhouse Astor, Sr.
4. Henry Waldorf Astor (born 1969) son of David Astor
The younger brother of John Jacob Astor III and William Backhouse Astor, Jr., Henry married Malvina Dinehart of Red Hook, NY in 1871. The match with Ms. Dinehart, whose father is variously described as the head farmer or the gardner for the Astor family farm in Red Hook (which Henry managed), was considered socially unacceptable. Henry was estranged from his father, brothers and all but one of his sisters as a result. His reputed disinheritance for falling in love with a poor woman became a celebrated scandal in New York society. Henry withdrew from New York society to live the quiet life of a gentleman farmer with his new wife in a house he designed himself in West Copake, NY. (Sometimes referred to in his time as Astorville.) Shortly before his death it became public knowledge that, although substantially reduced from a full share, his inheritance still put him among the richest men in the United States. Henry and Malvina were childless and his fortune reverted to his siblings and their issue upon his death, although his wife was guaranteed the interest from one-third of the estate for the remainder of her life.
References
- Thomas, Lately (1999), The Astor Orphans: A Pride of Lions, Washington Park Press