| Code | DS/UK/3527 |
| Name | Astor II; Waldorf (19 May 1879-30 September 1952); 2nd Viscount Astor, DL; American-born English politician and newspaper proprietor |
| Dates | 19 May 1879-30 September 1952 |
| Gender | Male (cisgender) |
| Place of Birth/Origin | New York City, New York, United States (born_ |
| Relationships | Son of William Waldorf Astor (1st Viscount Astor) and Mary Dahlgren Paul
Spouse of Nancy Langhorne Shaw (politician)
Father of William Waldorf Astor II (3rd Viscount Astor), Nancy Phyllis Louise Astor, Francis David Langhorne Astor (newspaper publisher), Michael Langhorne Astor (politican) and Major Sir John Jacob Astor VII (politician) |
| Biography | Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor, DL was an American-born English politician and newspaper proprietor. He was also a member of the Astor family.
Astor won election as a Unionist for the borough of Plymouth in the December 1910 general election. He held the seat until the constituency was abolished in 1918, after which he moved to the borough of Plymouth Sutton. Despite his political affiliation, Astor quickly demonstrated his independence by his support for the so-called "People's Budget" and the National Insurance Act of 1911.
In 1911, Astor was approached by James Louis Garvin, editor of The Observer, about purchasing the newspaper from its owner, the press baron Lord Northcliffe. Northcliffe and Garvin had a disagreement over the issue of Imperial Preference, and Northcliffe had given Garvin the option of finding a buyer for the paper. Though his father provided the funds, it was Waldorf who was in charge of the paper, and he developed a harmonious working relationship with Garvin. William formally turned over ownership of both papers to his son in 1915.
When his friend David Lloyd George became prime minister and formed a new coalition government, Astor became his parliamentary private secretary. In 1918 he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food and from 1919 until 1921 he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health while also playing a prominent role as a member of Lloyd George's "garden suburb" of advisers. |