Background
David Astor was born on March 5, 1912, in London, United Kingdom. He was a son of a Viscount Waldorf Astor, politician and newspaper owner, and a Viscountess Nancy Witcher Langhorn, a politician.
1921
Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor with his wife Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor with their children in Cliveden, Taplow, Buckinghamshire. (Left to right) The children are Michael Astor, Jakie Astor, Nancy Phyllis Louise Astor, David Astor, and William Astor. Photo by Topical Press Agency.
1964
David Astor. Photo by David Rubinger.
1964
David Astor at work. Photo by David Rubinger.
West Downs School where David Astor did his studies.
Windsor SL4 6DW, United Kingdom
Eton College where David Astor did his studies.
Oxford OX1 3BJ, United Kingdom
Balliol College where David Astor did his studies.
The Croix de Guerre that David Astor received for his military service in The Corps of Royal Marines.
David Astor was born on March 5, 1912, in London, United Kingdom. He was a son of a Viscount Waldorf Astor, politician and newspaper owner, and a Viscountess Nancy Witcher Langhorn, a politician.
A son of parents from upper-class society, David Astor was surrounded by nobles, politicians, statesmen, and rich people since his early years. Astor was more attached to his father rather than with his mother, a determined woman with conservative views and a strong believer in Christian Science.
After an education at West Downs School in Winchester, David Astor pursued his studies at Eton College in Berkshire, and then entered Balliol College, Oxford. The constant tensions with his mother led him to an emotional breakdown that forced him to leave the institution before completing a degree.
Astor took a course of psychoanalysis with Anna Freud.
David Astor did various jobs from 1934 until 1940 and traveled to Germany many times in an attempt to rescue Jews from the growing threat of the Third Reich.
In 1936, Astor joined the staff of the Yorkshire Post newspaper and spent there one year till he began contributing to his father's newspaper, the Observer. Joining the Royal Marines in 1940, he served honorably and was promoted to the rank of major.
After the war, David Astor continued to work at his family’s newspaper as a foreign editor becoming a full editor by 1948.
In 1956, the newspaper was criticized harshly because of the material accusing Prime Minister Anthony Eden of lying about the situation around the Suez Crisis. Although the justice was restored, the affair struck the Observer’s reputation and reduced its circulation for a while.
At the beginning of the next decade, Astor stimulated the formation of the Columbus Centre making a speech on the origin of political extremism.
The Observer prospered until the 1970s, when increasing production costs, flagging circulation, and labor problems eventually compelled Astor to resign as editor in 1975. That same year, the paper was purchased by Robert O. Anderson, the owner of the Atlantic Richfield Oil Company. Astor continued to serve as director from 1976 until 1981. He spent his last years as a philanthropist and public speaker.
David Arter was actively involved in the major social and economic events of his time, both personally and through the Observer as it was in the case of Amnesty International founded after the publication of "The Forgotten Prisoners" by Peter Benenson in the magazine.
Arter was against the apartheid policy supporting the African National Congress and Nelson Mandela since the middle of the 1960s.
Although David Arter descended from a wealthy dynasty, he was a quite modest and shy but strong-willed person who compassioned to people in need and to those who were the victims of socioeconomic injustices by supporting various charities and lobbies. In the 1960s, he was among those who established the Koestler Trust. He supported the charity till the end of his days.
Involved in political challenges, Arter kept his privacy.
Physical Characteristics: David Arter was a tall man.
David Aster was married twice. Melanie Hauser became his first wife in 1945. Two years later, their daughter, Frances Christine Langhorne, was born. Aster and Hauser divorced in 1951.
The editor formed a family with Bridget Aphra Wreford the following year. The family produced five children named Alice Margaret Frances, Richard David Langhorne, Lucy Aphra Nancy, Nancy Bridget Elizabeth, and Thomas Robert Langhorne.