Michael Astor

Summary

The Hon. Michael Langhorne Astor (10 April 1916 – 28 February 1980) was a British Conservative Party politician.

Michael Langhorne Astor, 1948

Early life

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Michael Astor was born on 10 April 1916. He was the fourth child of Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor, and Nancy Witcher Langhorne, both Members of Parliament.[1] He attended prep school at St. Michael's, Uckfield, where he was a contemporary of the future writer and painter Denton Welch, who later included him in a short story. He was educated at Eton College and gained the rank of captain, serving in the Royal Artillery (Territorial Army).[1] He served as an officer during WW2 in "Phantom" GHQ Liaison Regiment.

Career

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He was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Surrey East in the 1945 general election.[2] He kept his seat in the 1950 election but did not stand in 1951. He wrote a memoir, Tribal Feeling, published in 1963, and a novel, Brand, published in 1968.[3]

Personal life

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Astor married three times:

  • Barbara McNeill (1942–1961), with whom he had four children.
  • Pandora Clifford (1961–1968). Annabel Jones, his stepdaughter from his second marriage, married his nephew, William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor.[4]
  • Judith Innes (1970–1980), with whom he had a daughter, Polly in 1971. Polly has a daughter, Martha West, with actor Dominic West.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Michael Langhorne Astor". Geni.com. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Hon. Michael Astor". They Work For You. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Tribal Feeling". Internet Archive. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  4. ^ Colacello, Bob. "Inside the Very Charmed World of British Noble Annabel Astor". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  5. ^ Anthony, Andrew. "Interview Way out West Andrew Anthony". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
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  Media related to Michael Astor at Wikimedia Commons

  • Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Michael Astor
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for East Surrey
19451951
Succeeded by