JOHN JACOB ASTOR, BORN 1763
A FORTUNE IN THE FUR TRADE AND REAL ESTATE
John Jacob Astor was a German-born American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor. Born in Germany, Astor immigrated to England as a teenager and worked as a musical instrument manufacturer. He moved to the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Seeing the expansion of population to the west, Astor entered the fur trade and built a business empire that extended to the Great Lakes region and Canada, and later expanded into the American West and Pacific coast. Following a decline in demand due to changing European tastes, he got out of the fur trade in 1830, diversifying by investing in New York City real estate. Astor was extremely wealthy and became a prominent patron of the arts. In proportion to GDP, he was one of the richest people in modern history. This account of his life is extracted from a biography being written by his great great great great great grandson James Astor.
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