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Harlem River and Portchester Railroad Co. Issued to John Jacob Astor IV

Inv# AG1626
Harlem River and Portchester Railroad Co. Issued to John Jacob Astor IV
State(s): New York
Years: 1893

Stock issued to but not signed by John Jacob Astor IV. In 1909 Astor divorced his wife Ava and on September 9, 1911 married eighteen year–old Madeleine Talmadge Force in his mother's ballroom at Beechwood, the family's Newport, Rhode Island home. The divorce and marriage to Madeleine, who was a year younger than Vincent Astor, caused a scandal and John Jacob IV and Madeleine took an extended honeymoon in Europe and Egypt to wait for the gossip to calm down. Among the few Americans of the socialite class who did not spurn JJ IV at this time was Margaret Brown, better known to posterity as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". She accompanied the Astors to Egypt and France and, by coincidence, was called home to the U.S. at the same time the Astors also found it necessary to abbreviate their touring. While traveling Madeleine became pregnant, and wanting the child born in the United States, the Astors booked first–class passage on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic which they boarded at Cherbourg, France. Astor was the richest person on the ship and, along with his wife, his party included his servant, his wife's maid and nurse and his pet Airedale, Kitty. At 11:40 PM on April 14, 1912 the Titanic hit an iceberg and began sinking. At first Astor didn’t believe the ship was in any serious danger, but later helped his wife into a lifeboat. He asked if he could join his wife, mentioning her "delicate condition", but the officer in charge said no men until all the women and children were away. Astor reportedly stood back, asked for the lifeboat number, lit a cigarette, and tossed his gloves to Madeleine. Both she and Mrs. Brown survived. He perished.
Stock printed by Continental Bank Note Co., New York. Portrait and biography included with stock.

Condition: Excellent
Item ordered may not be exact piece shown. All original and authentic.
OUT OF STOCK