Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General, Financier. Grandson of patriarch John Jacob Astor I and son of William Backhouse Astor. He devoted his life to philanthropy and civic affairs. He and his wife Charlotte provided funding for a host of charities, including the Children’s Aid Society, the Astor Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Cancer Hospital. During the Civil War, he served as an volunteer Aide-de-Camp to General George B. McClellan, and recieved the brevet of Brigadier General, US Volunteers on March 13, 1865 for “meritorious services in the campaign of the Peninsula”. A monument erected in his memory is directly across from the Astor family vault.  Family links:  Parents:  William Backhouse Astor (1792 – 1875)  Margaret Alida Rebecca Armstrong Astor (1800 – 1872)  Spouse:  Charlotte Augusta Gibbes Astor (1825 – 1887)  Children:  William Waldorf Astor (1848 – 1919)*  Siblings:  John Jacob Astor (1822 – 1890)  Mary Alida Astor Carey (1823 – 1881)*  Laura Astor Delano (1824 – 1902)*  William Backhouse Astor (1829 – 1892)*  Henry Astor (1830 – 1918)*  Sarah Todd Astor (1832 – 1832)* *Calculated relationship