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Biography
John Astor (26 September 1923 – 27 December 1987) was an English politician. He was also a member of the Astor family.
John was the youngest of three sons born to John Jacob Astor V (1886–1971) and Violet Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (1889–1965). He had two elder brothers, Gavin (1918–1984) and Hugh (1920–1999). Violet also had two children, Mary (1910–2003) and George (1912–1997), from her first marriage to Lord Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice (1874–1914).
He was educated at Eton College and during World War II served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was a Berkshire County Councillor from 1953 and an alderman from 1960.
Astor was elected as the MP for Newbury in the 1964 general election and was re-elected twice, in 1966 and 1970 but stood down before the first February 1974 general election. In 1970 he was appointed to the position of Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Overseas Development.
In 1950, he married Diana Kathleen Drummond (11 April 1926 – 1982), daughter of George Henry Drummond and Helena Kathleen Holt. Helena was a niece of civil engineer Herbert Samuel Holt. They were the parents of three children:
- Elizabeth Kathleen Astor (born 22 July 1951)
- John Richard Astor (20 November 1953 – 4 February 2016)
- George David Astor (born 8 July 1958)
In 1982, he married Penelope Eve Bradford. They had no children. Penelope died on 31 December 2006.