William Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor: Difference between revisions

The Right Honourable
The Viscount Astor
The Right Honourable The Viscount Astor
	Astor with his wife Bronwen on their wedding day
Member of the House of Lords ; Lord Temporal
	In office; 30 September 1952 – 7 March 1966; Hereditary Peerage
Preceded by	The 2nd Viscount Astor
Succeeded by	The 4th Viscount Astor
Member of Parliament; for Wycombe
	In office; 25 October 1951 – 30 September 1952
Preceded by	John Haire
Succeeded by	John Hall
Member of Parliament; for Fulham East
	In office; 14 November 1935 – 15 June 1945
Preceded by	John Wilmot
Succeeded by	Michael Stewart
Personal details
Born	William Waldorf Astor II; 13 August 1907; Cliveden, Buckinghamshire, England
Died	7 March 1966 (aged 58); Nassau, Bahamas
Spouses	; Sarah Norton (m. 1945; div. 1953) ; Phillipa Hunloke (m. 1955; div. 1960) ; Bronwen Alun-Pugh (m. 1960)
Children	4, including William, 4th Viscount
Parent(s)	Waldorf, 2nd Viscount Astor; Nancy Langhorne
Relatives	Astor family
Alma mater	Eton College; New College, Oxford
Occupation	Businessman, politician

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William Waldorf Astor II, 3rd Viscount Astor (13 August 1907 – 7 March 1966) was an English businessman and Conservative Party politician. He was also a member of the Astor family.

Background and education

William was the eldest son of Waldorf Astor and Nancy Witcher Langhorne (by marriage, Viscountess Astor). He was educated at Eton and at New College, Oxford.

Political career

In 1932, Astor was appointed secretary to Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton, at a League of Nations Committee of Enquiry in what was then known as Manchuria. First elected to the House of Commons in 1935, he served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Fulham East until 1945. Between 1936 and 1937 he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Samuel Hoare, who was then made Home Secretary in the new cabinet of Neville Chamberlain in 1937.

In World War II, he served as a naval intelligence officer, acquiring no distinction, but gaining many influential contacts.^[1] He returned as the Conservative MP for Wycombe in the 1951 general election, serving for ten months. On his father's death in 1952, he inherited his peerages, becoming the 3rd Viscount Astor and Baron Astor, with a seat in the House of Lords. This forced a by-election in Wycombe, which was won by the Conservative candidate John Hall.

Astor then took over the family's Cliveden estate in Buckinghamshire, where he and his family continued to live until 1966. Active in thoroughbred horse racing, he inherited Cliveden Stud, a horse farm and breeding operation in the village of Taplow near Maidenhead.

During the 1963 Profumo affair, Astor was accused of having an affair with Mandy Rice-Davies. In response to being told during one of the trials arising out of the scandal that Astor had denied having an affair with her, Rice-Davies famously replied, "Well he would, wouldn't he?"

Personal life and death

Astor married three times:^[2]

William married Sarah Norton (20 January 1920 – 4 February 2013; daughter of Richard, 6th Baron Grantley) on 14 June 1945 and they were divorced in 1953. They had one son together:

William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor (William Waldorf Astor III; born 27 December 1951); he married Annabel Jones on 14 January 1976.

William married Phillipa Victoria Hunloke (10 December 1930 – 20 July 2005, whose maternal grandfather was Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire) on 26 April 1955 and they were divorced on 3 June 1960. They had one daughter together:

Emily Mary Astor (born 9 June 1956)

William Astor married, finally Bronwen Alun-Pugh on 14 October 1960. They had two daughters:

Janet Elizabeth Astor (born 1 December 1961); she married the Earl of March and Kinrara, later the 11th Duke of Richmond, on 30 November 1991.
Pauline Marian Astor (born 26 March 1964)

Astor died in Nassau, Bahamas, aged 58 from a heart attack^[3] and was buried in the Octagon Temple at Cliveden.^[4] His son succeeded him in the viscountcy.

References

^ Anthony Summers & Stephen Dorril. Honeytrap (Coronet Books) 1987. page 64.
^ Hammond, Peter W. (ed.) The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda. (Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 1998) pages 669–670.
^ "Viscount Astor Dies in Nassau Of Heart Attack at Age of 58. Son of Lady Nancy Astor. Former M.P. Was Named in '63 Profamo [sic] Scandal". New York Times. 8 March 1966. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
^ dijit.net. "Astor Mausoleum - Mausolea & Monuments Trust". www.mmtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2017.

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Viscount Astor

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Wilmot	Member of Parliament for Fulham East 1935–1945	Succeeded by Michael Stewart
Preceded by John Haire	Member of Parliament for Wycombe 1951–1952	Succeeded by Sir John Hall
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Waldorf Astor	Viscount Astor 1952—1966	Succeeded by William Astor

[1] Anthony Summers & Stephen Dorril. Honeytrap (Coronet Books) 1987. page 64.

[2] Hammond, Peter W. (ed.) The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda. (Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 1998) pages 669–670.

[3] "Viscount Astor Dies in Nassau Of Heart Attack at Age of 58. Son of Lady Nancy Astor. Former M.P. Was Named in '63 Profamo [sic] Scandal". New York Times. 8 March 1966. Retrieved 21 March 2010.

[4] t.net. "Astor Mausoleum - Mausolea & Monuments Trust". www.mmtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2017.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|English businessman and politician (1907–1966)}}
+{{multiple issues|
+{{more citations needed|date=June 2014}}
+{{Lead too short|date=October 2021}}
+}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
 {{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
-{{more citations needed|date=June 2014}}
 {{Infobox officeholder
 | honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
@@ Line 7: / Line 12: @@
 | image = Bill and Bronwen Astor.jpg
 | caption = Astor with his wife [[Bronwen Astor|Bronwen]] on their wedding day
+| office = [[Member of the House of Lords]] <br />[[Lord Temporal]]
+| term_start = 30 September 1952
+| term_end = 7 March 1966<br />[[Hereditary Peerage]]
+| predecessor = [[Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor|The 2nd Viscount Astor]]
+| successor   = [[William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor|The 4th Viscount Astor]]
+|office2 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br /> for [[Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)|Wycombe]]
+|parliament2 =
+|term_start2 = 25 October 1951
+|term_end2 = 30 September 1952
+|predecessor2 = [[John Haire]]
+|successor2 = [[John Hall (Wycombe MP)|John Hall]]
+|office3 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br /> for [[Fulham East]]
+|parliament3 =
+|term_start3 = 14 November 1935
+|term_end3 = 15 June 1945
+|predecessor3 = [[John Wilmot, 1st Baron Wilmot of Selmeston|John Wilmot]]
+|successor3 = [[Michael Stewart, Baron Stewart of Fulham|Michael Stewart]]
+| birth_name = William Waldorf Astor II
 | birth_date = {{Birth date|1907|8|13|df=y}}
 | birth_place = [[Cliveden]], Buckinghamshire, England
 | death_date = {{Death date and age|1966|3|7|1907|8|13|df=y}}
 | death_place = [[Nassau, Bahamas]]
-| parents = [[Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor|Waldorf, 2nd Viscount Astor]]<br />[[Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor|Nancy Langhorne]]
+| parents = [[Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor|Waldorf, 2nd Viscount Astor]]<br />[[Nancy Langhorne]]
+| spouse = {{plainlist|
-| spouse = {{marriage|[[Sarah Baring|Sarah Norton]]<br />|1945|1953|end=div}}<br />{{marriage|Phillipa Hunloke<br />|1955|1960|end=div}}<br />{{marriage|[[Bronwen Astor|Bronwen Alun-Pugh]]<br />|1960}}
+* {{marriage|[[Sarah Baring|Sarah Norton]]|1945|1953|end=div}}
+* {{marriage|Phillipa Hunloke|1955|1960|end=div}}
+* {{marriage|[[Bronwen Astor|Bronwen Alun-Pugh]]|1960}}
+}}
 | children = 4, including [[William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor|William, 4th Viscount]]
 | occupation= Businessman, politician
@@ Line 18: / Line 45: @@
 | relatives = [[Astor family]]
 }}
-[[File:Viscount Coronet.svg|right|100px]]<br/>[[File:Blasón del Vizcondado Astor.svg|right|100px]]
+[[File:Coronet of a British Viscount.svg|right|100px]]
+[[File:Astor (Baron Astor of Hever) Arms.svg|right|100px]]
 '''William Waldorf Astor II, 3rd Viscount Astor''' (13 August 1907 – 7 March 1966) was an English businessman and [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] politician. He was also a member of the [[Astor family]].
 == Background and education ==
+William was the eldest son of [[Waldorf Astor]] and [[Nancy Witcher Langhorne]] (by marriage, Viscountess Astor). He was educated at [[Eton College|Eton]] and at [[New College, Oxford]].
-William was the eldest son of [[Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor|Waldorf Astor]] and [[Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor|Nancy Witcher Langhorne]] (by marriage, Viscountess Astor). He was educated at [[Eton College|Eton]] and at [[New College, Oxford]].
 == Political career ==
-In 1932, Astor was appointed secretary to [[Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton]], at a [[League of Nations]] Committee of Enquiry in what was then known as [[Manchuria]]. First elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] in 1935, he served as a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Fulham East (UK Parliament constituency)|Fulham East]] until 1945. Between 1936 and 1937 he was [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[First Lord of the Admiralty]], [[Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood|Samuel Hoare]], who was then made [[Home Secretary]] in the new cabinet of [[Neville Chamberlain]] in 1937.
+In 1932, Astor was appointed secretary to [[Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton]], at a [[League of Nations]] Committee of Enquiry in what was then known as [[Manchuria]]. First elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] in 1935, he served as a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Fulham East]] until 1945. Between 1936 and 1937 he was [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[First Lord of the Admiralty]], [[Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood|Samuel Hoare]], who was then made [[Home Secretary]] in the new cabinet of [[Neville Chamberlain]] in 1937.
-In [[World War II]], he served as a naval intelligence officer, acquiring no distinction, but gaining many influential contacts.<ref>Anthony Summers &amp; Stephen Dorril. Honeytrap (Coronet Books) 1987. page 64.</ref> He returned as the Conservative MP for [[Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)|Wycombe]] in the [[1951 United Kingdom general election|1951 general election]], serving for ten months. On his father's death in 1952, he inherited his title, becoming the 3rd [[Viscount Astor]] and Baron Astor. He took his seat in the [[House of Lords]], forcing a [[1952 Wycombe by-election|by-election in Wycombe]], which was won by the Conservative candidate [[John Hall (Wycombe MP)|John Hall]].
+In [[World War II]], he served as a naval intelligence officer, acquiring no distinction, but gaining many influential contacts.<ref>Anthony Summers &amp; Stephen Dorril. Honeytrap (Coronet Books) 1987. page 64.</ref> He returned as the Conservative MP for [[Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)|Wycombe]] in the [[1951 United Kingdom general election|1951 general election]], serving for ten months. On his father's death in 1952, he inherited his peerages, becoming the 3rd [[Viscount Astor]] and Baron Astor, with a seat in the [[House of Lords]]. This forced a [[1952 Wycombe by-election|by-election in Wycombe]], which was won by the Conservative candidate [[John Hall (Wycombe MP)|John Hall]].
-During the 1963 [[Profumo affair]], Astor was accused of having an affair with [[Mandy Rice-Davies]]. In response to being told during one of the trials arising out of the scandal that Astor had denied having an affair with her, Rice-Davies famously replied, "He would, wouldn't he?"
 Astor then took over the family's [[Cliveden]] estate in [[Buckinghamshire]], where he and his family continued to live until 1966. Active in [[thoroughbred]] [[horse racing]], he inherited Cliveden Stud, a horse farm and breeding operation in the village of [[Taplow]] near [[Maidenhead]].
+During the 1963 [[Profumo affair]], Astor was accused of having an affair with [[Mandy Rice-Davies]]. In response to being told during one of the trials arising out of the scandal that Astor had denied having an affair with her, Rice-Davies famously replied, "[[Well he would, wouldn't he?]]"
-==Marriages and children==
+==Personal life and death==
 Astor married three times:<ref>[[Peter W. Hammond|Hammond, Peter W.]] (ed.) ''The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda &amp; Corrigenda.'' ([[Stroud, Gloucestershire]]: [[Sutton Publishing]], 1998) pages 669–670.</ref>
-William married [[Sarah Baring|Sarah Norton]] (20 January 1920{{ndash}}4 February 2013; daughter of Richard, 6th [[Baron Grantley]]) on 14 June 1945 and they were divorced in 1953. They have one son, three grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren:
+William married [[Sarah Baring|Sarah Norton]] (20 January 1920 – 4 February 2013; daughter of Richard, 6th [[Baron Grantley]]) on 14 June 1945 and they were divorced in 1953. They had one son together:
+* [[William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor]] (William Waldorf Astor III; born 27 December 1951); he married [[Annabel Astor, Viscountess Astor|Annabel Jones]] on 14 January 1976.
-*[[William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor]] (William Waldorf Astor III; born 27 December 1951) he married [[Annabel Astor, Viscountess Astor|Annabel Jones]] on 14 January 1976. They have three children and nine grandchildren.
-William remarried Phillipa Victoria Hunloke (10 December 1930{{ndash}}20 July 2005, whose maternal grandfather was [[Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire]]) on 26 April 1955 and they were divorced on 3 June 1960. They have one daughter and four grandchildren:
-*''The Hon'' Emily Mary Astor (born 9 June 1956) she married Alan M. C. L. Gregory in 1984. She remarried James Anderson in 1988 and they were divorced in 1996. They have four children:
-**Thomas Alexander Anderson (born 1990)
-**Rory John Anderson (born 2 November 1991)
-**Liza Kate Anderson (born 1993)
-**Isobel Nancy Anderson (born 1993)
+William married Phillipa Victoria Hunloke (10 December 1930 – 20 July 2005, whose maternal grandfather was [[Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire]]) on 26 April 1955 and they were divorced on 3 June 1960. They had one daughter together:
-William Astor remarried, finally [[Bronwen Astor|Bronwen Alun-Pugh]] on 14 October 1960. They have two daughters and seven grandchildren:
+* Emily Mary Astor (born 9 June 1956)
+William Astor married, finally [[Bronwen Astor|Bronwen Alun-Pugh]] on 14 October 1960. They had two daughters:
-*''The Honorable'' Janet Elizabeth Astor (born 1 December 1961) she married [[Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond|Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara]] in 1991. They are now Duke and Duchess of Richmond and Gordon; they have four children.
+* Janet Elizabeth Astor (born 1 December 1961); she married the [[Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond|Earl of March and Kinrara]], later the 11th Duke of Richmond, on 30 November 1991.
-*''The Honorable'' Pauline Marian Astor (born 26 March 1964) she married George C. V. Case on 13 October 1990. They have three daughters:
-**Magdalena Beatrice Case (born 1994)
+* Pauline Marian Astor (born 26 March 1964)
-**Nancy Mary Case (born 30 December 1996)
-**Margo Rose Case (born 8 October 2000)
-Astor died in [[Nassau, Bahamas]], at age 58 from a [[heart attack]]<ref>{{cite news |author= |coauthors= |quote=Viscount Astor of Cliveden, a member of the Anglo-American Waldorf Astor family, died in Nassau, the Bahamas, today of a heart attack. He was 58 years old |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/03/08/archives/viscount-astor-dies-in-nassau-of-heart-attack-at-age-of-58-son-of.html |title=Viscount Astor Dies in Nassau Of Heart Attack at Age of 58. Son of Lady Nancy Astor. Former M.P. Was Named in '63 Profamo (sic) Scandal |work=[[New York Times]] |date=8 March 1966 |accessdate=2010-03-21 }}</ref> and was buried in the Octagon Temple at [[Cliveden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmtrust.org.uk/mausolea/view/14/Astor_Mausoleum|title=Astor Mausoleum - Mausolea & Monuments Trust|first=|last=dijit.net|website=www.mmtrust.org.uk|accessdate=11 August 2017}}</ref> His son succeeded him in the viscountcy.
+Astor died in [[Nassau, Bahamas]], aged 58 from a [[heart attack]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/03/08/archives/viscount-astor-dies-in-nassau-of-heart-attack-at-age-of-58-son-of.html |title=Viscount Astor Dies in Nassau Of Heart Attack at Age of 58. Son of Lady Nancy Astor. Former M.P. Was Named in '63 Profamo [sic] Scandal |work=[[New York Times]] |date=8 March 1966 |access-date=2010-03-21 }}</ref> and was buried in the Octagon Temple at [[Cliveden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmtrust.org.uk/mausolea/view/14/Astor_Mausoleum|title=Astor Mausoleum - Mausolea & Monuments Trust|last=dijit.net|website=www.mmtrust.org.uk|access-date=11 August 2017}}</ref> His son succeeded him in the viscountcy.
 == References ==
@@ Line 68: / Line 87: @@
 {{S-par|uk}}
 {{Succession box
-  | title  = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Fulham East (UK Parliament constituency)|Fulham East]]
+  | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Fulham East]]
   | years  = [[1935 United Kingdom general election|1935]]–[[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945]]
   | before = [[John Wilmot, 1st Baron Wilmot of Selmeston|John Wilmot]]
@@ Line 74: / Line 93: @@
 }}
 {{Succession box
-  | title  = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)|Wycombe]]
+  | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)|Wycombe]]
   | years  = [[1951 United Kingdom general election|1951]]–[[1952 Wycombe by-election|1952]]
-  | before = [[John Haire, Baron Haire of Whiteabbey|John Haire]]
+  | before = [[John Haire]]
   | after  = [[John Hall (Wycombe MP)|Sir John Hall]]
 }}
@@ Line 83: / Line 102: @@
   | title  = [[Viscount Astor]]
   | years  = 1952—1966
-  | before = [[Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor|Waldorf Astor]]
+  | before = [[Waldorf Astor]]
   | after  = [[William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor|William Astor]]
 }}
@@ Line 107: / Line 126: @@
 [[Category:UK MPs 1935–1945]]
 [[Category:UK MPs 1951–1955]]
-[[Category:Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]]
+[[Category:UK MPs who inherited peerages]]
+[[Category:Viscounts Astor|3]]
 [[Category:Foreign Office personnel of World War II]]
+[[Category:Military personnel from Buckinghamshire]]
+[[Category:Royal Navy officers of World War II]]

v t e Profumo affair
Notable people	John Profumo Christine Keeler Stephen Ward Yevgeny Ivanov Johnny Edgecombe Lucky Gordon Mandy Rice-Davies Mariella Novotny Peter Rachman Harold Macmillan William, Lord Astor Tom, Lord Denning James Burge
Adaptations	The Christine Keeler Story (1963 film) Scandal (1989 film) Stephen Ward (2013 musical) The Trial of Christine Keeler (2019 TV series) The Crown season 2 (2017)
Other	"Well he would, wouldn't he?"

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