Her father, John Jacob Astor IV, died aboard the Titanic. After her brother died, she inherited a boatload of money, and she became extremely popular in New York circles.
More trivia:
Astor was a lifelong reader and the author of four books. Reflecting that interest, the New York Public Library was a prime beneficiary of her largesse. But Astor's projects ran the gamut from creating outside "living room" parks for public housing complexes to renovating subway stations, paying for pet care for low-income elderly New Yorkers and providing the recently homeless with furniture for new apartments.
No wonder people liked her so much.
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