Editing Vincent Astor (section)

==Philanthropy==
Vincent Astor was, according to family biographer Derek Wilson, "a hitherto unknown phenomenon in America: an Astor with a highly developed social conscience." He was 20 when his father died in the sinking of the ocean liner ''[[Titanic]]'' and, having inherited a massive fortune, he dropped out of Harvard. He set out to change the family's image from that of miserly, aloof slum landlords who enjoyed the good life at the expense of others.

Over time, he sold off the family's New York City slum housing and reinvested in reputable enterprises, while spending a great deal of time and energy helping others. He was responsible for the construction of a large housing complex in the [[Bronx, New York|Bronx]] that included sufficient land for a large children's playground, and in [[Harlem]], he transformed a valuable piece of real estate into another playground for children.

Astor appeared at No. 12 on the first list of America's richest people, compiled by ''[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]'' magazine. His net worth at the time was estimated at $75 million. 

[[File:Ferncliff, Rhinebeck, New York.jpg|thumb|[[Ferncliff Farm|Ferncliff]], the Astor family's country estate in [[Rhinebeck (town), New York|Rhinebeck, New York]]]]
He also inherited [[Ferncliff Farm|Ferncliff]], the Astor family's {{convert|2800|acre|km2|adj=on}} estate in [[Rhinebeck (town), New York|Rhinebeck, New York]], where his father had been born. However, Vincent Astor would be the last family member to own the estate as well as the final Astor to occupy the "Ferncliff Casino", a [[Stanford White]]-designed 1904 [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts style]] {{convert|40000|sqft|m2}} building, which was inspired by the [[Grand Trianon]] at [[Versailles Palace|Versailles]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astorcourts.com/ |title=Astor Courts |publisher=Astor Courts |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref><ref name="blogspot1">{{cite web|url=http://realestalker.blogspot.com/2010/07/astor-courts-historical-site-of-chelsea.html |title=The Real Estalker: Astor Courts, Historical Site of Chelsea Clinton's Hitching |publisher=Realestalker.blogspot.com |date=July 30, 2010 |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref>

On his death in 1959, Astor bequeathed the main house at Ferncliff to the Benedictine Hospital in [[Kingston, New York]]. His widow, Brooke, later donated the "Ferncliff Casino" to the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and sold off many parcels of the estate. In 1963, Homer Staley, a retired businessman in the area, asked Brooke Astor to preserve the remaining natural acreage of [[woodland]]s from development. She donated the woodlands to the Rotary Club of Rhinebeck, and the land became the [[Ferncliff Forest|Ferncliff Forest Game Refuge and Forest Preserve]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nynjctbotany.org/lgtofc/fernclif.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030201032216/http://www.nynjctbotany.org/lgtofc/fernclif.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=February 1, 2003 |title=Hiking Ferncliff Forest Game Refuge and Forest Preserve |publisher=Nynjctbotany.org |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref>

===The Sinclair-Astor Letters===
[[Upton Sinclair]], author of ''[[The Jungle]]'', wrote Astor an open letter, which he describes in ''[[The Brass Check]]'' and he also sent to half a dozen newspapers, requesting that he support the Socialist cause and help the poor, at a time when Sinclair claims Astor was erecting a million-dollar estate, without benefiting the rest of society; the only newspaper to publish his letter was a Socialist newspaper, the ''[[New York Call]]''. Vincent Astor replied to this letter, and also sent a copy out to half a dozen newspapers, and according to Sinclair, all of them published his reply in full, including the ''New York Call''.<ref>[https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/cgi-bin/colorado?a=d&d=THD19140116-01.2.105&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA--------0------   Astor Answers Sinclair]</ref> Sinclair claimed this was what he considered a scientific demonstration of bias of the media in favor of the wealthy because they gave Astor complete coverage, often on the front page, and, except for the ''Call'', they declined to publish his first letter, and only three of the traditional newspapers published a small portion of his reply to Astor's letter, without featuring it as prominently.<ref>[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/64657/64657-h/64657-h.htm#Page_125 "The Brass Check" by Upton Sinclair 1920]</ref>