John Jacob Astor
From Kook Science
| John Jacob Astor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Johann Jakob Astor 17 July 1763 Walldorf, Electoral Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 29 March 1848 (84) New York City, New York |
| Known for | Founder of the wealthy Astor family of New York; fur trader; real estate mogul; opium peddler |
John Jacob Astor (July 17, 1763 - March 29, 1848) was a Palatine-born American merchant of Lombardic origin who amassed the first major fortune in the United States through his business activities as the American Fur Company and his private acquisition of New York real estate.
Reading
- Gebhard, Elizabeth L. (1915), The Life And Ventures of the Original John Jacob Astor, Hudson, N.Y.: Bryan Printing Co., https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008438058
The Astor Fortune
Captain Kidd's Treasure
Re: Franklin Head's claim that the Astor fortune began with John Jacob Astor's recovery of Captain Kidd's buried treasure at Deer Isle, Maine.
- Head, Franklin H. (1898), Studies In Early American History: a Notable Lawsuit, Chicago: Priv. Print
- "Greatest Hoax of Recent Times 'Laid' After 29 Years - Franklin H. Head's Story of the Start of the Astor Fortune and Subsequent Suit for More Than 5 Million Dollars, Written to Entertain a Club in 1894, Has Been Published as True Many Times Since — Officially Branded Fake by Son of Reputed Plaintiff.", Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): 26, 8 Nov. 1923, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111548887/greatest-hoax-of-recent-times-laid/