Madeleine Astor
| Madeleine Force Astor | |
|---|---|
|
200px John Jacob Astor IV and Madeleine Astor | |
| Born |
Madeleine Talmage Force June 19, 1893 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died |
March 27, 1940 (aged 46) Palm Beach, Florida |
| Cause of death | Heart Ailment |
| Occupation | Socialite |
| Spouse(s) |
John Jacob Astor IV (m. 1911-1912) William Karl Dick (m. 1916-1933) Enzo Fiermonte (m. 1933-1938) |
| Children |
John Jacob Astor VI William Karl Dick, Jr. John Henry Dick |
| Parents |
William Hurlbut Force Katherine Arvilla Talmage |
Madeleine Astor Dick (née Talmage-Force, formerly Fiermonte) (June 19, 1893 – March 27, 1940) was the second wife and widow of millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and a survivor of RMS Titanic.
Early life
Madeleine Talmage Force was born on June 19, 1893 in Brooklyn, New York to William Hurlbut Force and Katherine Arvilla Talmage. She had a sister, Katherine Emmons
She first met John Jacob Astor IV, one of the richest men in the United States, in Bar Harbor, Maine the August after finishing Miss Spencer school. On September 9, 1911 the eighteen-year-old Madeleine married the forty-seven year old John Jacob Astor in newport, the Astor family's Rhode Island home.
Aboard the Titanic
Madeleine boarded the Titanic as a first class passenger on Cherbourg, France with her husband John Jacob Astor, her husband's valet Victor Robbins, her maid Rosalie Bidois and her nurse Caroline Endres. They also took John Jacob Astor's Airedale, Kitty.
On the night of April 14, 1912 Colonel Astor reported to Madeleine that the ship hit an iceberg. He reassured her that the damage did not appear serious.
While they were waiting on the boat deck Mrs. Astor lent Leah Aks, a third class passenger, her shawl to keep her son, Filly, warm. At one point the Astors retired to the gymnasium and sat on the mechanical horses. They wore their lifebelts. Colonel Astor had found another and cut the lining with a pen knife to show Madeleine what it was made of. Later Madeleine, her maid and her nurse were rescued in lifeboat 4.
John Jacob Astor and his valet perished on the sinking. John Jacob Astor's body was recovered on April 22. Madeleine and the other survivors were rescued by the RMS Carpathia and afterwards Madeleine did not talk about the disaster except to mention her last memory of the sinking was seeing John Jacob Astor's pet Airedale, Kitty, pacing on the deck. Madeleine was only 19 years of age, and had been married to Astor for only seven months.
Later life
Madeleine gave birth to John Jacob Astor VI, named after his father, on August 14, 1912 exactly four months after she had become a widow. His half-brother, Vincent Astor, long maintained that his younger sibling was not a biological Astor.
According to John Jacob Astor's will, Madeleine would have received income from a $5,000,000 trust fund as long as she did not remarry.
Remarriages
Madeleine's first remarriage was on June 22, 1916, in Bar Harbor, Maine. She married her childhood friend and banker William Karl Dick (1888–1953), who at twenty-eight years old was vice president of the Manufacturers Trust Company of New York and a part owner and director of the Brooklyn Times. As stated in the will, Madeleine lost her stipend from the trust fund and the right to live in the Astor mansion in Manhattan. During the marriage she and Dick had two sons: William Karl Dick, Jr. and John Henry Dick. The marriage to Dick did not last and they divorced on July 21, 1933 in Reno, Nevada.
Just 4 months later on November 27, 1933 Madeleine married twenty-six-year-old Italian boxer Enzo Fiermonte in a civil ceremony in New York City. They divorced five years later on June 11, 1938 in West Palm Beach, Florida and Madeleine went back to using the surname Dick.
Death
Madeleine Astor died of a heart ailment in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 27, 1940 at the age of 46. She was buried in Trinity Church Cemetery in New York City.
External links
- Behe, George, Phillip Gowan, Hermann Sōldner. "Mrs Madeleine Talmage Astor (nèe Force)". Encyclopedia Titanica. http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/12/. Retrieved July 15, 2005.
- "Mrs. Fiermonte Dead in Florida". The New York Times. March 29, 1940. http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/item/3259/. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- Madeleine Astor Death Certificate on Titanic-Titanic.com
- Madeleine Astor at Find-A-Grave
- Madeleine Astor at Titanic-Passengers.com
