Dynastic Facts About Brooke Astor, The Star-Crossed Socialite
Brooke Astor lived the kind of life that many people dream of. She had multiple homes, cars with drivers, and servants who catered to her every need. Brooke, however, made one mistake that would lead her to a life of squalor, fear, and danger.
What was her mistake? She neglected to give her only son "enough" attention. When this spurned child reached adulthood, nothing could stop him from wreaking his brutal revenge.
1. She Got Around
Brooke Astor was actually born Roberta Brooke Russell on March 30, 1902 in New Hampshire. Her father was the 16th commandant of the Marine Corps and that meant moving around—a lot.
Bobby, as they called her, had residences in quite a variety of places including Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and China. All this moving around kept Brooke on the lookout for some much needed stability in her life.
When she met her first husband, she thought she’d found it—boy was she wrong.
2. She Wanted Stability
At the tender age of 17, Brooke got married. The groom was John Dryden Kuser, who was the son of a very wealthy family. Unfortunately, Kuser did not bring with him a wealth of kindness.
Kuser had a reputation for his drinking, womanizing and physical abuse of Brooke—he also played daily $2,000 games of golf.
Brooke later called her first marriage some of the worst years of her life. There was, however, a silver lining.
3. He Was A Ray Of Hope
After being in this difficult marriage for five years, Brooke, now 22, received the news that she was pregnant. But this came with a dark side. The pregnancy did nothing to improve her marriage, and Kuser—reportedly convinced the child wasn't his—broke Brooke’s jaw six months into her pregnancy.
However, Brooke still clung onto her unborn child as something to live for, and in May of 1924, she gave birth to a son, Tony Dryden Kuser.
While this may sound like a ray of hope, we’ll soon see that this child would be nothing but a world of trouble for poor Brooke Astor.
4. She Got Out
By 1930—11 years into her horrible marriage—Brooke filed for, and received, a divorce from Kuser. She then gave herself a reward for surviving: a lover. This was the over-the-top handsome British film, TV, and radio star Brian Aherne.
Brooke must have been on top of the world to be canoodling with a man who would go on to play King Arthur—not once but twice. This was definitely fun for Brooke, but was he marriage material?
