Astor, John Jacob

John Jacob Astor, (born May 20, 1886, New York, New York, U.S.—died July 19, 1971, Cannes, France), British journalist and great-great-grandson of the U.S. fur magnate John Jacob Astor; as chief proprietor of The Times of London (1922–66), he maintained the newspaper’s leading position in British journalism.

He was the second son of the 1st Viscount Astor (before his immigration to England) and the viscount’s first wife, Mary Dahlgren Paul. The young Astor was educated at Eton and began his military career with the First Life Guards in 1906. After serving as aide-de-camp to the viceroy of India (1911–14) and in World War I, he entered Parliament in 1922 as a Unionist, holding his seat until 1945. Also in 1922 he bought nine-tenths ownership of The Times newspaper and established it as an independent political voice. Astor played a role in the defense of London during World War II through his work on the City Defences Committee. Although the offices of The Times were bombed by German forces in 1940, the paper continued its operation without significant interruption. In 1953 Astor was elected chairman of the Council of the British Press, a body created by Parliament to review the recruitment, ethics, and pensions of journalists. See also Astor Family.