John Astor Jacob

See also: Astor

Johny Jacob (1763 - 1848) was an American trader .

German of birth, born the July 17th 1763 with Walldorf close to Heidelberg, it is without fortune when it arrives at the the United States in 1784. He quickly grows rich in the Traite furs, and founds in 1808 the American Fur Company (American Company of the fur skins). He establishes in 1811, on left bank of the Columbia, the counter of Fort Astoria.

At the day of its death, the March 29th 1848 with New York, he is the richest man of the United States, its fortune is estimated at more than 20 million dollars. The public library of New York ( Astor library ) was born thanks to one of its testamentary legacies. He is the founder of the Dynastie Astor, from which the colonel John Jacob Astor IV is resulting.

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