Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever


Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever, was an English soldier, publisher, peer, and member of the Astor family.

Biography

Astor was the eldest son of John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever, and Lady Violet Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound. He had two younger brothers, Hugh and John. His mother had two children, Mary and George, from her previous marriage to Lord Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice.
He was educated at Eton College and New College, Oxford, before joining the Life Guards, where he reached the rank of captain.
Business positions included the chairmanship of the Times Publishing Company and life presidency of Times Newspapers Ltd. He was appointed High Sheriff of Sussex in 1955.
He inherited the barony and Hever Castle in Kent on the death of his father in 1971.
In 1955, he founded the Astor of Hever Trust, a charity aimed to collect donations for arts, medicine, religion, education, conservation, youth, and sport.

Marriage and children

Astor married Lady Irene Haig, youngest daughter of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, and Dorothy Maud Vivian, on 4 October 1945. They had five children:
Astor died of cancer in 1984 at his home near Tarland, Scotland. He was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Johnny.