Editing John Jacob Astor (section)

==Legacy==
At the time of his death in 1848, Astor was the wealthiest person in the United States, leaving an estate estimated to be worth between $20 and $30 million,<ref name="Madsen2001"/>{{rp|268}} (equivalent to about ${{Inflation|US|20|1848|2020}}&nbsp;billion to ${{Inflation|US|30|1848|2020}}&nbsp;billion in 2020) or 0.9% to 1.35% of estimated US GDP at the time. By comparison, the fortune of [[Jeff Bezos]] was worth approximately $200 billion in 2020,<ref>Ponciano, Jonathan. "Jeff Bezos Becomes The First Person Ever Worth $200 Billion". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020.</ref> similar to Astor at approximately 0.9% of US GDP.<ref>https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDP/, retrieved for Q4 2020 on April 6, 2021.</ref>

In his will, Astor bequeathed $400,000 to build the [[Astor Library]] for the New York public,{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} which was later consolidated with other libraries to form the [[New York Public Library]]. He also left $50,000 for a [[poorhouse]] and orphanage in his German hometown of [[Walldorf]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} The ''Astorhaus'' is now operated as a museum honoring Astor. It is a renowned and popular fest hall for marriages. Astor donated gifts totaling $20,000 to the German Society of the City of New York, during his term as president, from 1837 until 1841.<ref>Wust, Klaus (1984). ''Guardian on the Hudson: The German Society of the City of New York, 1784–1984''. New York:  The Society. {{ISBN|0-917968-11-5}}. pp.&nbsp;26–27.</ref>

Astor left the bulk of his fortune to his second son William, because his eldest son, John Jr., was sickly and mentally unstable. Astor left enough money to care for John Jr. for the rest of his life. William continued building the family fortune, and was an ancestor of [[John Jacob Astor III]], [[John Jacob Astor IV]], and [[John Jacob Astor VI]].

Astor is buried in [[Trinity Church Cemetery]] in Manhattan. Many members of his family had joined its congregation, but Astor remained a member of the local German [[Reformed Church in America|Reformed congregation]] to his death.<ref name="books.google.com">James Parton (1865). ''[https://archive.org/details/cihm_18845 Life of John Jacob Astor: To which is appended a Copy of his last will]''. New York: The American News Comp. p. 81.</ref> In the short story ''[[Bartleby, the Scrivener]],'' [[Herman Melville]] used Astor as a symbol of men who made the earliest fortunes in New York.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Course Hero |date=2019 |title=Bartleby the Scrivener Study Guide |url=https://mseffie.com/assignments/billy_budd/Bartleby%20Course%20Hero.pdf |access-date=June 13, 2022}}</ref>

The pair of marble lions that sit by the entrance of the [[New York Public Library Main Branch]] at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street were originally named Leo Astor and Leo Lenox, after Astor and [[James Lenox]], who founded the library from his own collection. Next, they were called Lord Astor and Lady Lenox (both lions are males). Mayor [[Fiorello La Guardia]] renamed them "Patience" and "Fortitude" during the [[Great Depression]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Library Lions |url=https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/library-lions |access-date=June 13, 2022 |website=The New York Public Library}}</ref>

The neighborhood of [[Astoria, Queens|Astoria]] in [[Queens]], New York City, is named after Astor.

[[Astor Place]] in Manhattan, New York City, was named after Astor, soon after his death.<ref name="streetbook">{{cite streetbook}}</ref>

The coastal town of [[Astoria, Oregon]], is named after Astor, as well as an elementary school named in his honor. The background to the founding of this town is described in Washington Irving's ''[[Astoria (book)|Astoria]],'' a book whose writing was financed by Astor.

The historic neighborhood of Astor Park in [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]], is named after Astor. In 1835, John Jacob Astor founded the Town of Astor in Wisconsin. After the Town of Astor was united with the Town of Navarino to form the Borough of Green Bay, one neighborhood was named after him.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/hazelwood08#:~:text=In%201835%2C%20John%20Jacob%20Astor,finest%20homes%20in%20the%20community | title=Astor Street neighborhood home to Green Bay history | date=February 3, 2008 }}</ref>

In 1908, when the [[association football]] club [[FC Astoria Walldorf]] was formed in Astor's birthplace in Germany, the group added "Astoria" to its name in his, and the family's, honor.<ref>[http://www.fussball.de/vereinsnamen-serie-fc-astoria-walldorf/id_52005140/index "Warum heißen die so? Heute: FC Astoria Walldorf"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122224913/http://www.fussball.de/vereinsnamen-serie-fc-astoria-walldorf/id_52005140/index |date=January 22, 2014 }} {{in lang|de}}. Fussball.de. December 8, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2011.</ref>