Mrs. Vincent Astor(1902-2007)
Brooke Marshall Astor was the only child of Major General John Russell
and granddaughter of Rear Admiral John Henry Russell, a descendant of
one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. With her moneyed
background, she grew up in Hawaii, Panama, China and Santo Domingo, and
became fluent in Chinese. In 1953, she became the third wife of Vincent
Astor, who was listed 12th on the first Forbes list of the wealthiest
Americans. Vincent Astor left an enormous estate at his death in 1959,
and left his widow to distribute the funds to charity. Over the next 40
years, Mrs. Astor distributed $195 million from The Astor Foundation to
New York social projects, including the Bronx Zoo and the New York
Public Library. In 1997, at the age of 95, she gave out the last $25
million and closed the foundation, stating that she wanted more time to
travel and write poetry. On January 15, 1998, she was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. As a major New York
philanthropist and one of the last scions of the American Astor
dynasty, Brooke Astor has earned a place as New York's grande dame,
equally known for her personal style and witty demeanor. Having
recently turned 103, she still makes appearances in New York
City.