Volume 15 , Issue 24

One Hundred Years Ago - 17 June 1913

If you would have picked up the newspaper one hundred years ago today, 17th of June 1913, you might have read about, "Mrs. John Jacob Astor, the most interesting widow in America. John Jacob Astor was one of those aboard the Titanic when it sank back in April, 1913. In The Logan Republican, dated Tuesday, June 17, 1913, out of Logan, Cache County, Utah, we found this Headline: "Mrs. John Jacob Aster, the Most Interesting Widow In America." Mrs. Astor was reported to have received seven millions form husband's estate, with nearly $90,000,000 valuation placed on the estate of the Titanic victim, John Jacob Astor.

New York, June 13 (1913) -- The estate of Colonel John Jacob Astor who perished int he Titanic disaster, was officially appraised at $88,966,611 of which Vincent Astor received $68,964,499, Muriel Astor $4,856,758 and John Jacob Astor's son by his second marriage, $2,922,672.

The Astor estate was declared to be the largest ever appraised in this country, back then. There were two features of special interest in the appraisal.

One was the affidavit of the examiners that the property embraced in the ante-nuptial agreement for MRs. Ava Willing Astor amounting to about $1,738,000, which was to have reverted to her at the time of her husband's death, now terminates and goes to Vincent Astor for the reason that the youth's mother, although once Colonel Astor's wife ws never his widow. Mrs. Ava Willing Astor divorced her husband, whose legal widow was Mrs. Madeline Force Astor.

The second feature concerned the inheritance tax of Colonel Astor. The estate saved a large sum by paying $3,150,000 to the state October, 1912, within six months of Colonel Astor's death, this payment earning a 5 per cent rebate. The sum mentioned greatly exceeds any amount ever paid to any state as an inheritance tax, it was declared.

The appraisers placed the real estate value at about $63,100,000 and the value of the personal property close to $25,000,000. The real estate included the old Astor house property, the Waldorf Astoria, the St. Regis and Knickerbocker hotels and other hotel and office buildings.

Including both real and personal property, the estate was divided approximately as follows:

• Owned by J. J. Astor absolutely, $51,300,000.
• Interest under trust funds established by William Astor, $33,240,000.
• Ante-nuptial trust, Mrs. Ava Willing Astor, $1,773,000, (which reverts to Vincent Astor).
• Two ante-nuptial trusts, Mrs. Madeline Force Astor, totaling $1,450,000.
• Property in trust created by William astir, life interest by J. J. Astor, passing to Vincent Astor $236,300.

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