Who Was John Jacob Astor IV?

John Jacob Astor IV was a passenger aboard the Titanic. He was the richest passenger on the ship. When the Titanic sank in 1912, he was found with $2500 cash in his jacket pocket. He was worth eighty-seven million dollars. He made his millions by working in the fur trade. The suit in which he stayed in on the Titanic cost $4,000, which would have been equal to about $50,000 today. He boarded the Titanic with his 19-year old, pregnant wife, a nurse, a maid, a manservant and his dog. His pregnant wife, Madeline made it to a lifeboat. However, John Jacob was last seen on deck with his dog. Two days later, his body was found and it appeared that he had died as a result of being crushed by one of the huge smoke stacks. His wife went on to inherit 1.7 million dollars and gave birth to his son, John Jacob Astor V in August of 1912.

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