The Four Hundred; Caroline Astor and Her New High Society

The Gilded age in New York was a fascinating point in time full of innovation. Around this time we see true corporate rivalry, a rise in classism, and major development in New York City real estate. The Four Hundred made a lot of these accomplishments possible through their influence and philanthropy.

Caroline Astor

Born into old money, and marrying into the richest new money family in the world, Caroline Astor (Mrs. Astor) was often referred to as the queen of gilded age New York. Her extravagant balls and strong influence over the wealthy was what allowed her to hold this title for so long. Caroline Astor, originally Caroline Shermerhorn, never knew anything less than high society. She was the youngest of her siblings and was the darling of her family, and from a young age had a strong sense of the world. On September 23rd, 1853, Caroline was married to William Astor Jr; a less than impressive groom for Caroline as William was second born son in his family, and stood to inherit a smaller fortune than his older brother.

They lived a financially comfortable life while absolutely despising each other. William often fooled around with women of a “lesser class,” and after they had their first heir, Caroline and William stood and slept apart. In between his infidelity and drunk nights, William was able to make very sensible investments, including large tracts of undeveloped land in a town he founded called Astor, Florida. His investments earned him and Caroline a very large fortune before, during, and after the Civil War.

The Beginning

Ward McAllister, a cousin by marriage to Caroline, was hired by Caroline to prepare her daughter, Emily, for the upcoming social season. Mr. McAllister traveled Europe in his youth and he quickly became obssessed with the etiquette of the Royals. He was Caroline’s tutor on high society, and she was Mr. McAllister’s pocketbook and opportunity to get back into American high society after falling on hard times. Together, they started a group called “The Society of Patriarchs,” modeled after Europes high society. They selected 25 prominent men of nepotism to participate in their first ball as a partnership. These men must meet two specific requirements; They must be of “old money,” and must have substantial wealth. To be considered as a man with “old money,” they must be at least four generations removed from the main source of their money. Additionally, their definition of substantial wealth was a man with at least $1 million.

The Four Hundred

It was believed that the signature four hundred attendees was related to the capacity of Carolines 5th Avenue mansion, but this was a precedent set by Ward McAllister.

“There are only about 400 people in fashionable New York society. If you go outside that number, you strike people who are either not at ease in a ballroom, or who make other people not at ease.”

Ward McAllister, The New York Tribune

The actual list of what Ward considered New York’s high society members included around 250 names, many of which were incomplete, and some even expired.

The Vanderbilts

The Vanderbilts were considered new money at the time, and were originally ignored by Mrs. Astor upon their arrival. That is, until Alva came along. An extremely ambitious woman, Alva was not willing to take no for an answer. Her solution? Start a high society herself, with the Vanderbilt fortune that is. She meticulously planned a costume ball at her new 5th avenue chateau, leaked the information to the press, and immediately became the woman Mrs. Astor did not want her to be. Mrs. Astor and her daughter, Carrie, were not invited. Carrie begged her mother to attend, and her mother couldn’t say no. After some presumed negotiating, the Astors received the invitation that Carrie so desperately wanted. Suddenly the tide shifted.

The two women ended up as companions and allies, further hosting parties together. They worked together on a committee that served to raise funds for the base of the statue of liberty, later dedicated in 1886.

The Finale

In 1890, Caroline’s brother-in-law, John Jacob Astor III died, the patriarch of the family. During his passing, John Jacob dubbed his son, William Waldorf Astor, the new patriarch. This allowed William to drop his first name in place of “Mr.”, meaning that his wife, Mamie, was now the “official” Mrs. Astor. The problem with this: Caroline still used calling cards titled “Mrs. Astor”. When William brought this to Carolines attention, he was met with resistance and a simple explanation of age and seniority. This was a clear breach of etiquette, but Caroline only cared about these things when they suited her wishes. Mamie did not hold near enough social capital to go against her aunt-in-law, Caroline. Because of this, William ended up moving his family to London and renounced the American way.

He demolished his 5th avenue mansion and replaced it with what was the Waldorf hotel, casting her now small humble abode in the shadows. Caroline’s son, Jack, who was now in charge of the family finances, ended up moving he and his mother north along 5th avenue to escape the unruly hotel guests and constant construction. He and Caroline tore down their old home and built what was The Astoria. A building taller than the Waldorf, ultimately casting The Waldorf into the shadows. In the interest of good business, all parties agreed to merge the hotels and created what was the original Waldorf-Astoria hotel and is now the Empire State Building.

After the merge, Carolines influence over the four hundred started to crumble. After Mr. McAllister released his tell-all book about the secrets of New York’s high society, he was outcast and was rarely seen amongst his peers again. He died five years after his book release. Following, Carolines estranged husband died in 1892, and her daughter, Helena, died at 35 the following year. When she emerged from her home to throw her first ball after mourning for three years, she quickly realized her influence had diminished and what was The Society Of Patriarchs became history. She continued to throw parties, but ultimately left the hosting to her daughters, and in 1905, Caroline threw her last ball before dying in 1908 at the age of 78.