John Jacob Astor

John Jacob Astor (English: John Jacob Astor; German: Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 - March 29, 1848), a German-American businessman and investor, a prosperous figure in the Astor family, one of the first millionaires in the United States, and the founder of the first trust in the United States. After the American Revolution, he immigrated to the United States and established a fur trading empire spanning the Great Lakes region, Canada, and later expanded to the West Coast of the United States. He also smuggled opium. Beginning in the early 19th century, he invested in real estate in New York City and became a well-known patron of artists in his later years.