[4] John Jacob Astor VI (nicknamed "Jakey") was born at 840 Fifth Avenue in New York City on August 14, 1912.

He was the son of Colonel John Jacob Astor IV (nicknamed "Jack") and socialite Madeleine Talmage Force.

Jakey's parents' marriage, on September 9, 1911, had sparked much controversy both because of their 29-year age difference, and because Colonel Astor had been divorced from his first wife, socialite Ava Lowle Willing, only one year earlier, on March 5, 1910.

Astor, who had become close to Dick, strongly opposed the union with Fiermonte and repeatedly tried to convince his mother to end the relationship.

Astor graduated from St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island, and from Harvard University.

[6] Under the terms of Colonel Astor's will, Madeleine received relatively little of her husband's $85 million estate (approximately $2.7 billion in 2023 dollars).

The Colonel's 19-year-old widow Madeleine received the annual income from a $5 million trust fund (about $160 million in 2023 dollars), supplemented by an annual payment of $500,000 (about $16 million in 2023 dollars), as well as use of his New York mansion at 65th Street & Fifth Avenue, all its furnishings, and his Newport mansion Beechwood and all of its furnishings, the pick of whichever luxury limousine she wanted from his collection, and five of his prized horses, provided that she did not remarry.

Elder half-brother Vincent's contempt for Madeleine led him to believe that Jakey was not even a biological Astor.

Heartbroken, Astor went to Shanghai shortly afterward to grieve, returning to America in early May 1934.

"[14] A few weeks after returning from Shanghai, Astor became engaged to Eileen's close friend socialite Ellen Tuck "Tucky" French (1915–1974), the elder daughter of Francis Ormond "Frank" French II and Eleanor Livingston Burrill.

[16] Tucky was a granddaughter of Amos Tuck French, and had been attracted to Jakey while he was engaged to Eileen.

[17] At the time of their son's birth, Astor was working at the International Mercantile Marine Co..[19] Another of Tucky's sisters, Virginia Middleton French (1917–2011),[20] married William Force Dick, Astor's half-brother through his mother, on December 18, 1941, before her marriage to Philip B.

Astor served as an usher and Tucky was matron of honor to Virginia and William's wedding.

[29] Before their separation and divorce, the couple had a daughter: On August 6, 1954, Astor married for the third time, to Dolores Margaret "Dolly" Fullman (born c. 1928) in Arlington, Virginia.