Brooke Astor was born on March 30, 1902, and died in 2007. She was 105 years old. Many people in New York knew her from high society, and she did a lot of good things for others. She is famous for being well-known in high society. Astor got most of her money from her marriage to Vincent Astor, who was the heir to the family’s wealth. She took care of Vincent’s money and made it grow by investing in real estate and giving to good causes.
Brooke Astor gave away a lot of money. She was worth about $200 million when she died. People knew Astor for being private and wanting to make other people’s lives better through her charity work. People kept looking at her because she was so nice.
Quick Bio
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Roberta Brooke Russell Astor |
| Birth Date | March 30, 1902 |
| Birthplace | Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA |
| Death Date | August 13, 2007 (aged 105) |
| Professions | Philanthropist, socialite, writer |
| Marriages | John Dryden Kuser (1 son: Anthony Dryden Kuser), Charles Marshall, Vincent Astor |
| Notable Roles | Chairwoman of Vincent Astor Foundation |
| Philanthropy | Supported NYC cultural institutions & charities; distributed ~$195 million |
| Education | Mostly private governesses; attended Miss Madeira’s School (did not graduate) |
| Net Worth (end life) | Estimated around $200 million |
Brooke Astor Net Worth
Brooke Astor was worth between $100 million and $200 million when she died in 2007. In the court papers, there were a lot of different ideas and figures about how much her estate was worth. The federal government said that one woman’s taxed estate was worth $223 million. This meant she had to give a lot of money to the government. When she married Vincent Astor, who was related to the Astor line, she got a lot of money. One way she got rich was by selling her Park Avenue apartment for $21 million.
Brooke Astor was known for giving millions of dollars to people and arts groups in New York City, even though she was very wealthy. People fought over how to handle and give her money after she died, which caused a lot of trouble in court for her estate. One thing that was said was that her son Anthony Marshall stole from the estate. After all of these court cases were over, her family got the rest of her money, which was about $14.5 million.
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Business Ventures and Income Sources
When Brooke Astor married Vincent Astor, she got a lot of money. This was her main source of income and business. She ran the Vincent Astor Foundation from 1959 to 1997. She gave more than $195 million in funds to library, museum, hospital, homeless shelter, and community projects in New York City while she was in that position. She gave a lot of money to the Bronx Zoo, the New York Public Library, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She also supported plans to help animals and make places better.
For Brooke, it was very important that the money her group raised was used well. She often checked out the websites of people who might be able to get funds. She was a famous woman who gave money to good causes. She wrote a number of books as well. However, she didn’t make most of her money from running a business; most of it came from bequests and running charity. Giving back to the community and making the world a better place are more important to her than having a business.
Real State Ownership and Properties
She lived in a lovely apartment in New York City at 778 Park Avenue. In the 1930s, Rosario Candela designed some of the best co-ops, and this one was one of them. Her apartment was famous for being big, having a classic look, and having nice details like high ceilings, lots of terraces, and wood-burning stoves. It took up almost the whole floor.
This house was her home until she died in 2007. That Park Avenue apartment alone was worth a lot of money. Wealthy people and famous people from show business lived in the building itself. Brooke Astor owned other properties besides this well-known one that showed how rich the Astor family was and added a lot to the value of her estate.
Personal Life
Brooke Astor was married three times and had a lot of problems with her family. They got married for the first time when she was 17 years old. Anthony Dryden Kuser was their son. People said that drinking, cheating, and abusing each other caused problems in the marriage, which ended in divorce in 1930. They were happily married for twenty years before he died suddenly in 1952. Their second husband was Charles “Buddie” Marshall. When she married William Vincent Astor in 1954, she was the last Mrs. Astor. He was the heir to the wealth of the Astor family.
She became more well-known and wealthy after she got married. Brooke spent a lot of her time working with the Vincent Astor Foundation to help other people after Vincent died in 1959. Brooke had a public life, but she also had a private family life and dealt with personal issues, like eventually going to court with her son Anthony over her will. She made a lot of friends in New York and did a lot of good in the nonprofit and social scenes.
Brooke Astor’s Son and Legal Battle
Anthony Dryden Marshall, Brooke Astor’s son, was involved in a very public court case about misusing money and not taking care of his mother’s estate properly. Anthony was charged in 2007 with conspiracy, big theft, and having stolen goods on his person. A second charge was that he used Brooke Astor’s mental illness to get rich secretly. In 2009, he was found guilty of 14 charges, including grand theft for taking millions of dollars without permission and not getting permission to raise money. He sold pricey art from her estate without her permission, among other things.
He was also accused of not taking care of his mother and cutting back on her drugs and doctor visits while living off of her money during the court case. Antony was sent to jail, but he could only stay for eight weeks because of health issues. He passed away in 2014. Because Brooke Astor’s will and estate are still being contested in court, a lot of her money was donated to good causes instead of going to Anthony’s family. This took a long time to happen in court.
Career Journey
A big part of Brooke Astor’s success came from the charity work she did with great zeal for almost fifty years. She married Vincent Astor in 1959 and got his money. After that, she was made head of the Vincent Astor Foundation. The foundation’s goal changed a lot when she was in charge. It became more focused on New York City, especially in the 1970s when money was tight. She personally ensured that more than $195 million was given to a huge number of good causes. Some of these were the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Bronx Zoo.
People knew Brooke Astor for being very involved. She would check on projects to see how the money was being spent. Besides her charity work, she backed social causes and gave hope to poor areas like Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. She also wrote a number of books, volunteered for many charities, and kept busy with friends well into her 90s. After the Vincent Astor Foundation ended in 1997, she kept doing good deeds until she died in 2007 at the age of 105. Many people remember her as one of the kindest people in New York City. She got the Medal of Freedom for this in 1998, and people in the charity world still like her a lot.
Physical Measurements
- Height: Approximately 5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
- Weight: Estimated 120–130 lbs (54–59 kg)
- Hair Color: Brown (later often seen dyed auburn or silver)
- Eye Color: Brown
- Body Type: Slim, elegant build typical of mid-century socialites
Struggles with Mental Health, Addiction & Homelessness
Brooke Astor had worries about her mental health and her power to think and remember things as she got older. She was sad and had Alzheimer’s disease, which made her forget things. Her health started to get worse in the early 1990s, and by the mid-1990s, she was more lost, paranoid, and nervous. Her long-term mental and physical weaknesses were made public during the court cases involving her son, who was accused of making money off of her mental and physical weaknesses.
Brooke’s doctors saw that she had times when she lost her memory and felt sad. She also wanted more care and said she should be nursed all the time. She had a glamorous public life, but in her later years she was lonely, abused, and used, which was a shame because it took away from her memory.
Current Status
She passed away in 2007 at the age of 105. People in New York City’s past have never been nicer than she was. She gave most of her nearly $192 million income to good causes, which shows how much she cared about helping people all her life. After she passed away, her estate was involved in a well-known court case over her son Anthony Marshall’s theft of money. A court deal cut her son’s inheritance by a lot and made her richer so she could give more. Brooke Astor left behind the Astor Fund for Public School Libraries and other charitable projects and funds that were named after her.
These still help the schools and cultural centers in New York City. Not only do people remember how nice she was, but they also use her life to show how adults can be ripped off financially. “I had a wonderful life” is written on Brooke Astor’s tombstone, which says it all about how she felt.
Public Perception & Media Coverage
A lot of people believed that Brooke Astor was the ideal New Yorker and one of the most generous people of her time. One thing that made her popular was that she gave a lot of money to arts and charity groups in New York City. The news called her the “First Lady of Philanthropy” and praised her for being able to easily move between wealthy areas and poor ones in the city to give her inheritance to good causes. People said nice things about her refined elegance, her charm, and the big difference her nonprofit work made. Important people, like Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, praised her kindness and goodwill.
But the news stories about her son Anthony’s court battles revealed a more tragic side: how her mental health got worse and how she was taken advantage of in her later years. The difference between how she looked in public and how she was struggling in private made people feel bad for her and taught them more about elder financial abuse. In general, Brooke Astor’s story in the news is one of great acts of kindness and a warning about how to keep the old safe. This makes her life story both moving and humbling.
FAQs
What was Brooke Astor’s net worth when she died?
She was thought to be worth between $180 million and $200 million when she died in 2007.
How much did Brooke Astor inherit from Vincent Astor?
Vic Astor, her late husband, left her about $75 million when he died in 1959. These days, that much money is worth about $2 billion.
Where was Brooke Astor’s apartment?
Brooke Astor had a well-known Park Avenue apartment in New York City. It was well known, and it sold for $21 million after she died.
Did Brooke Astor have children?
Brooke Astor did have a son from her second marriage. This person was named Anthony Marshall.
How did Brooke Astor make her money?
When Brooke Astor married Vincent Astor, she got most of her money from a gift from her family. She also invested money and took care of real estate.
Who controls the Astor fortune now?
A lot of Brooke Astor’s money and property have been given to good causes. The lands and money that the family still had have been divided up. There are now charitable companies in charge of a lot of the money instead of just family members.
Conclusion
Brooke Astor was worth about $200 million before she died. She was part of a long line of wealthy people called the Astor family. She gave away a lot of her money to good causes that changed the culture and social landscape of New York. Even though her son is in legal trouble and there are disagreements over how to handle her money, her reputation as a philanthropist lives on. Even though the Astor family isn’t as rich as they used to be, their past is still an important part of American history.
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