William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
William Waldorf Astor, 4th Viscount Astor (born December 27, 1951 ) is a British nobleman and Conservative politician .
Life
William Astor is the only son of William Waldorf Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor, and thus belongs to the famous American-British Astor family . He attended Eton College .
He inherited his father's title as early as 1966 when his father died. At the age of 21 he took his seat in the House of Lords in 1972 . Astor was whip there since 1990 . In 1993 he became Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Social Affairs, in the following year he moved to the Ministry of National Heritage (today part of the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sports). In 1995 he left the government. While his party was in the opposition, he appeared as a group spokesman for various areas in the House of Lords.
Even after the reform of the House of Lords in 1999, Astor still has a seat there as one of the 90 members elected by the bearers of hereditary titles of nobility.
family
Astor has been married to Annabel Jones since 1976. The couple have two sons and a daughter. Viscountess Astor has two other daughters from her first marriage to Sir Reginald Sheffield, 8th Baronet , of whom Samantha is married to former Prime Minister and former Conservative Party leader David Cameron .
Web links
- Short biography on the House of Lords website
- William Waldorf Astor, 4th Viscount Astor on thepeerage.com , accessed September 18, 2016.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| William Astor |
Viscount Astor 1966– |
current title holder |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Astor, William, 4th Viscount Astor |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Astor, William Waldorf, 4th Viscount Astor (full name); Astor, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British nobleman and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 27, 1951 |