John Jacob Astor IV

Who was John Jacob Astor IV?

John Jacob "Jack" Astor IV, often dubbed "Jack Ass" in the press, was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family.

In April 1912, Astor earned a prominent place in history when he embarked on the ocean liner RMS Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank in the early hours of April 15. Astor was among the 1,514 people on board who did not survive. He was the richest passenger aboard the Titanic, and was thought to be among the richest people in the world at that time, with a net worth of $85,000,000 when he died.