JOHN JACOB III

He was the son of William Backhouse Astor. He was just as haughty, just as cruel, and just as corrupt as his father and grandfather had been. He created “sweat shops” for the poor masses living in his New York tenements. He also supported corrupt politicians such as the criminal “Boss” Tweed who ran NYC. The Tweed Ring stole millions of dollars from the city of New York. Before they finally got caught and sent to prison Mayor Tweed and gang cost the city $200 million. Again John Jacob Astor III’s power allowed his involvement to be basically overlooked by the press, while Tweed went to prison for life.