Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor

Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (19 May 1879 – 30 September 1952) was a businessman and politician and a member of the prominent Astor family.

Born William Waldorf Astor in New York City in the United States, he was the son of the wealthy William Waldorf Astor (1848-1919) (later 1st Viscount Astor), and Mary Dahlgren Paul (1858-1894). He grew up in New York City but when he was 12 the family moved to England and he attended Eton College and at New College, Oxford.

The family's wealth allowed Waldorf Astor many choices but politics dominated. In 1906, he married the American divorcée Nancy Witcher Langhorne who was born on the same day as he was. A few years later he was elected at the December 1910 general election as Conservative Member of Parliament for Plymouth and then in 1918 for Plymouth Sutton.

As a wedding gift, Astor's father gave him and his bride the family estate at Cliveden. There, Nancy Astor redecorated the house, installing electricity. The couple's lavish entertaining is often referred to as the 'golden period' at Cliveden when guests such as Winston Churchill, Arthur Balfour, Rudyard Kipling, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, and others of the British elite gathered for parties, fox hunting, and other pastimes. The left-wing journalist Claud Cockburn called this group as the "Cliveden Set" and claimed they had influence over affairs of state. Waldorf Astor was a friend and supporter of David Lloyd George and during the First World War he served as the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Secretary. From 1919 until 1921 he served in government as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health.

On the death of his father, Waldorf Astor inherited a fortune that included "The Observer". In addition, he succeeded as 2nd Viscount Astor and became a member of the House of Lords, and his seat in the House of Commons was forfeited. His wife Nancy became the party's candidate in the subsequent by-election. On 28 November 1919, she became the second woman elected to the House of Commons, after Constance Markievicz). On 1 December, she became the first woman member to take her seat in the House (Markievicz had declined in accordance with her party's policy). She was re-elected many times, serving until 1945.

Lord Astor was active in charitable causes and governor of the Peabody Trust and Guy's Hospital. He was chairman of the Royal Institute of International Affairs from 1935 to 1949 and Lord Mayor of Plymouth from 1939 to 1944. He took over a thoroughbred racing stable from his father and expanded it, winning races including the St. Leger Stakes in 1927.

During the military buildup in Germany in the 1930s, the Astors promoted entente with Germany, seen by some as appeasement of Hitler. Many of their associates felt sympathy for the state of Germany after World War I, feared Communism, and supported the position of the British government. Lord Astor had Anti-Semitic views and in the 1930s he told Thomas Jones that Germany was criticized because, "Newspapers are influenced by those firms which advertise so largely in the press and are frequently under Jewish control." [http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~epf/1999/taylor.html] However, Lady Astor was critical of the Nazis, mostly on women's rights. Lord Astor's Anti-Semitism was non-violent and he protested to Hitler about treatment of the Jews. In 1940, they urged Neville Chamberlain to resign and supported Churchill as replacement. He also supported war against Germany when it came although both remained uncomfortable with Joseph Stalin as an ally. His son David, who became owner and editor of "The Observer" in 1948, never forgave Claud Cockburn and his newssheet "The Week" for attacks on the "Cliveden Set".

Although the Astor family donated Cliveden Estate in Buckinghamshire to the National Trust, Lord Astor lived there until his death in 1952 and his wife remained until her death in 1964.

Children:
# William Waldorf Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor (1907-1966)
# The Hon. Nancy Phyllis Louise Astor (later Countess of Ancaster) (1909-1975)
# The Hon. Francis David Langhorne Astor (1912-2001)
# The Hon. Michael Langhorne Astor (1916-1979)
# The Hon. John Jacob Astor (1918-2000)