Francis David Langhorne Astor CHThe Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry, or religion....
(March 5, 1912,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
– December 7, 2001,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
) was a
newspaperA newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
publisher and member of the prominent
Astor familyThe Astor family is a significant American family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding Family Members:John Jacob Astor and his brother George, The Astor family is a significant American family of German descent notable for their prominence in...
.
David Astor was the third child of American-born parents,
Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount AstorWaldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor was a businessman and politician and a member of the prominent Astor family....
(1879-1952) and
Nancy Witcher LanghorneNancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor, CH, was the first woman to serve as a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons...
(1879-1964). The product of an immensely wealthy business dynasty, and raised in the grandeur of a great country estate where the political and intellectual elite of the time gathered, he nevertheless had an instinctive compassion for the poor and those who were the victims of destructive socioeconomic policies.
An extremely shy man, David Astor was greatly influenced by his father but as a young man he rebelled against his strong-willed mother.
Francis David Langhorne Astor CHThe Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry, or religion....
(March 5, 1912,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
– December 7, 2001,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
) was a
newspaperA newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
publisher and member of the prominent
Astor familyThe Astor family is a significant American family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding Family Members:John Jacob Astor and his brother George, The Astor family is a significant American family of German descent notable for their prominence in...
.
Early life and education
David Astor was the third child of American-born parents,
Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount AstorWaldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor was a businessman and politician and a member of the prominent Astor family....
(1879-1952) and
Nancy Witcher LanghorneNancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor, CH, was the first woman to serve as a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons...
(1879-1964). The product of an immensely wealthy business dynasty, and raised in the grandeur of a great country estate where the political and intellectual elite of the time gathered, he nevertheless had an instinctive compassion for the poor and those who were the victims of destructive socioeconomic policies.
An extremely shy man, David Astor was greatly influenced by his father but as a young man he rebelled against his strong-willed mother. Educated at
Eton CollegeEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent boarding school for boys aged approx. 13 to 19. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
he went on to Oxford University where he suffered a nervous breakdown and left in 1933 without obtaining a degree. He was psychoanalysed by
Anna FreudAnna Freud was the sixth and last child of Sigmund and Martha Freud. Born in Vienna, she followed the path of her father and contributed to the newly born field of psychoanalysis. With Melanie Klein, she is the cofounder of psychoanalytic child psychology...
and during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served with distinction and was wounded in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Early career
While at
Balliol College, OxfordBalliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.Traditionally, the undergraduates are amongst the most politically active in the university, and the college's alumni include three former prime ministers. H. H...
in 1931, he met a young
anti-fascistFascism, , comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology developed in Italy. Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in...
German, named
Adam von Trott zu SolzAdam von Trott zu Solz was a German lawyer and diplomat who opposed the Nazi regime.-Life:Born in Potsdam, Germany, he was the fifth child of Emilie Eleonore and leading Prussian civil servant August von Trott zu Solz...
, who was to become the most influential figure in his life. Von Trott's involvement in the 1944 plot to assassinate
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party...
led to his execution. In 1936, Astor joined the
Yorkshire PostThe Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
newspaper where he worked for a year then joined his father's newspaper,
The ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a left-liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-History:The...
where he would serve as editor for 27 years. With his father's advancing age, and high inheritance taxes in England, in 1945 David Astor and his brother transferred ownership of the paper to a board of trustees. The trust contained restrictions so that the paper could not be subject to a hostile takeover but also stipulated that its profits go towards improving the newspaper, promoting high journalistic standards, and required a portion of the profits to be donated to charitable causes.
Later life
By the mid 1950s, David Astor had made
The Observer a successful and influential paper that published points of view from the right and left. Astor's policies were passionate about the plight of black Africans and the violation of human rights. He wrote against the death penalty and opposed all censorship. But, he took a more conservative view on the economic problems caused by high taxes and believed British trades unions had become too powerful and were hindering economic progress. He warned of the dangers of big government and of big business, influenced by his friend and employee of
The Observer,
George OrwellEric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist and journalist...
.
In 1956, David Astor and his newspaper came under fire when it accused Prime Minister
Anthony EdenRobert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Foreign Secretary for three periods between 1935 and 1955, including during World War II...
of lying to the people about important matters in
Suez CrisisThe Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, was a military attack on Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel beginning on 29 October 1956....
. Although he ultimately was shown to have been right, the situation harmed the paper's image and its circulation began to decline. Astor's causes included playing a main role in establishing
Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international secular non-governmental organisation which defines its mission as "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated." Founded in London in 1961, AI...
in 1961 after his paper published "The Forgotten Prisoners" by
Peter BenensonPeter Benenson was an English lawyer and the founder of human rights group Amnesty International .-Biography:...
. He also voiced strong opposition to the apartheid policy of the white
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
n government and supported the
African National CongressThe African National Congress has been South Africa's governing party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined...
(ANC).
Nelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto...
would refer to Astor as one of the best and most loyal of friends who had supported the ANC when other newspapers ignored them.
Despite his great wealth, David Astor lived modestly, putting his money to good use through a network of benefactions and charities. Although he proved a brilliant editor, he lacked the drive for profits like other newcomers to the business who took advantage to increase rapidly both their advertising and circulation at the expense of
The Observer. When
The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Colonel Arthur B. Sleigh in June 1855 as the Daily Telegraph and Courier...
launched a Sunday edition in 1961 it changed what had been a staid industry and the ensuing battles for advertising changed the character of how and what newspapers were all about. The aggressive marketing by
The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
under
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
newspaper tycoon Roy Thomson hurt circulation while the paper's unions were making repeated demands that drove costs to a point where the operation became an unsustainable business.
In 1975, Astor resigned as editor of
The Observer but continued as a trustee. In 1977 the paper was sold by his family to Robert O. Anderson, the American owner of the
Atlantic Richfield Oil CompanyARCO is an oil company which is, since 2000, a subsidiary of UK-based BP and is officially known as BP West Coast Products LLC. ARCO that was formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic Refining and California-based Richfield Petroleum in 1966...
. In his retirement, Astor continued to support a number of charities and to finance pressure groups for causes that he strongly believed in. For his contributions to British society, he was made a member of the
Order of the Companions of HonourThe Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry, or religion....
in 1994.
Astor is buried in All Saints' Churchyard,
Sutton CourtenaySutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish, between Didcot and Abingdon, currently in the English county of Oxfordshire. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire.-Today:...
,
OxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East England region, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire....
, in the grave next to his friend George Orwell.
Marriages
- 1) Melanie Hauser (1945-1951), one child
- Frances Christine Langhorne (b. 1947)
- 2) Bridget Aphra Wreford (1952-2001), five children:
- Alice Margaret Frances (b. 1953)
- Richard David Langhorne (b. 1955)
- Lucy Aphra Nancy (b. 1958)
- Nancy Bridget Elizabeth (b. 1960)
- Thomas Robert Langhorne (b. 1962)
External links