John Jacob Astor

John Jacob Astor (July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848), born Johann Jakob Astor, is a German-American business magnate, merchant and investor who is the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multimillionaire in the United States.

He is the creator of the first trust in America.

He emigrates to the United States following the American Revolutionary War and builds a fur-trading empire that extends to the Great Lakes region and Canada, and later expands into the American West and Pacific coast.

He also becomes involved in smuggling opium.

In the early 19th century he diversifies into New York City real estate and later becomes a famed patron of the arts.

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