John Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever

The Right Honourable
The Lord Astor of Hever
PC DL
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State For Defence
In office
11 May 2010 – 8 May 2015
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by The Baroness Taylor of Bolton
Succeeded by Mark Lancaster
Lord-in-waiting
Government Whip
In office
11 May 2010 – 2011
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by The Lord Thornton
Succeeded by The Baroness Stowell of Beeston
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Assumed office
28 June 1984
Hereditary Peerage
Preceded by Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever
Personal details
Born (1946-06-16) 16 June 1946
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Fiona Diana Lennox-Harvey
(m. 1970–1990; divorced)
Elizabeth Mackintosh
(m. 1990–present)
Children 5
Parents Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever
Lady Irene Haig
Relatives See Astor family
Residence Westerham, Kent, England
Education Eton College
Alma mater Eton College
Occupation businessman, politician

John Jacob "Johnny" Astor VIII, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever, PC DL (born 16 June 1946) is an English businessman and politician. He is an hereditary Lord Temporal, sitting with the Conservatives. Astor was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence from 2010–2015. Astor is a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent.

Family background

Astor was born 16 June 1946. He is the eldest of the five children of Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever, and Lady Irene Haig. Astor succeeded to the peerage after his father died from cancer in June 1984. His younger siblings are Bridget, Elizabeth, Sarah, and Philip.[1]

Education and military career

Astor was educated at Eton College before serving with the Life Guards (the senior regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry) from 1966 until 1970, where he visited Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Northern Ireland as well as ceremonial duties in London.

He worked in France for 11 years, and is now patron of the Conservatives in Paris.

Political career

In 1994, Lord Astor was a British Parliamentary Observer in Johannesburg during the South African General Election. He was a member of the Executive, Association of Conservative Peers from 1996–1998. In 1999 he was elected to continue as a member of the House of Lords.

From 1998–2001, he served as an Opposition Spokesman on Social Security and Health from 1998–2003. From 2001, he has been an Opposition Spokesman for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, and International Development, from 2003 to 2010, Opposition Spokesman for Defense, and from 2010 to 2011 a Lord in Waiting. From 2010–2015 he was parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Defence. He is currently the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Oman and Defence Secretary's Adviser for Military Co-operation with the Sultanate of Oman.

He is Former Hon Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council. In 1995 he piloted through the House of Lords the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act and in 1996 the Trading Schemes Act.

Marriages and children

Astor[1] married firstly Fiona Diana Lennox-Harvey on 1 July 1970. They had three daughters together:

  • The Honourable Camilla Fiona Astor (born 8 May 1974) she married Dominic M. Trusted and they have one daughter:
    • Raya Trusted (March 2008)
  • The Honourable Tania Jentie Astor (born 18 April 1978)
  • The Honourable Violet Magdalene Astor (born 1980)

They were divorced in 1990 and in the same year Astor married Hon. Elizabeth Mackintosh, younger daughter of John Mackintosh, 2nd Viscount Mackintosh of Halifax. They had two children:

  • The Honourable Charles Gavin John Astor (born 10 November 1990) In May 2016, Charles Astor became engaged to Princess Eliane Marie Ghislaine de Merode.[2]
  • The Honourable Olivia Alexandra Elizabeth Astor (born 21 August 1992)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 The Peerage, entry for 3rd Lord Astor
  2. ↑ "Lord Astor of Hever's heir to wed Princess". Peerage News.

Arms

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Gavin Astor		 Baron Astor of Hever
1984–present		 Incumbent
Heir apparent:
Hon. Charles Astor
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.