Series II. General Correspondence, 1953-2002, 2007, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
The series includes incoming and outgoing correspondence to/from Brooke Astor. Much of the correspondence consists of courtesies and pleasantries: proposals to meet for a lunch, dinner, or other visit; acknowledgements of pleasant visits; congratulations to Brooke for her book "Footprints"; compliments on some achievement; thanks to Brooke for financial donations; expressions of gratitude for Brooke's participation as a trustee or other supporter of an institution (usually cultural or religious); birthday and holiday greetings; and the like. Many of the letters reflect a closer relationship, such as that of family or friend, between Brooke and her correspondent, and those letters often include references to shared experiences or common acquaintances. There are some condolence letters referring to the deaths of various acquaintances, including some to Brooke on the occasion of her husband, Vincent's, death in 1959; similar letters found together are in Series I.
Arrangement
The series is arranged alphabetically by correspondent. With some adjustments, this was the original order of the correspondence as received at N-YHS.
A. General, 1959-2002, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Joe Armstrong, Nane Annan, Renata Adler, Lee & Walter Annenberg, and various Astors from England (Annabel, Pauline, Gavin, William, Jacqueline).
Ahern, Patrick (Bishop), 1980-1997, inclusive
Andrew, John G.B. (Reverend), 1983-2001, inclusive
Astor, David (Oxford, England), 1981-2000, inclusive
Astor, Brooke (photocopies of outgoing letters), 1979-1998, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Letters are to, among others, Joseph Alsop, Lady Wright (England), Edward M. Kennedy, James C.Y. Watt, Mrs. John Astor (England), Nigel Hawthorne (England), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Liz Smith, Vartan Gregorian, Winston Churchill (1997), U.S. President Bill Clinton (in support of the Municipal Art Society's proposal for use of the entire post office building for the proposed new Pennsylvania Station). Outgoing letters are also found in the various other correspondence files.
B. General, 1975-2000, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Charles Baskerville, Mark Birley, Gioria Maroni Braga, and Mrs. William Francis (Pat) Buckley.
Birley, Rhoda, 1959-1963, inclusive
C. General, 1950s-2002, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Joan Ganz Cooney, Schuyler and Catia Chapin, Lord Carrington, U.S. Senator William S. Cohen, Helen Clay Chace, Cass Canfield, Douglass Campbell, Roland L. Redmond (on Carter, Ledyard & Milburn letterhead), Isaac Stern (on Carnegie Hall letterhead), Charles -- (Pierpont Morgan Library), and draft of letter for the Critical Choices Commission's Forty Under Forty conference.
Chase, Lynn, 1992, inclusive
Curley, Walter J.P., 1986-2001, inclusive
Prince Charles, 1992, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds a Christmas card with photo of Prince Charles and his sons on polo horses, and a handwritten letter expressing regret at not being able to meet with Brooke on her visit to England.
Clatsop County (Oregon) Historical Society, 1990-1991, inclusive
D. General, 1959-1998, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Douglas Dillon, David Dinkins (Mayor, New York) and Joyce B. Dinkins, Mary Dunn, John A. Drayton, Mrs. Angier Biddle (Robin) Duke, Ruth du Pont, Kate Davis, Jarmila Novotna Daubek, Frank L. Dent, and Eric Drake.
De la Renta, Annette, undated, inclusive
E. General, 1968-2002, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Charles Engelhard, and Archbishop Edward M. Egan.
Elliott, Eleanor T. (Elly) & Jock, 1980-2002, inclusive
F. General, 1986-2002, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, -- Fasciani (transmitting to Brooke a photocopy of a 1939 letter from Vincent Astor to Peter Isola re: a birthday cake), Barbara Fleischman, Pamela Fiori, and Ellen Futter.
G. General, 1953, 1980-2002, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Frances Guthrie, Henry Grunwald, Barbara Goldsmith, Henry Gillespie, Clare Gregorian, Donna Hanover Giuliani, Donald R. Gardner, Robert Hixon Glore (transmitting a photograph of a car he purchased in 1989 that was formerly owned by Vincent Astor), and Georgia -- (London).
Grein, Richard F. (Right Reverend, Bishop of New York), 1990-1999, inclusive
H. General, 1959-2002, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Barbara Harper, Conrad Harper, Eleanor Howard, Clifford Henderson, Emily Harding, Marilyn Hewitt, August Heckscher, Donna Hanover, Becky Hamilton, Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., Gerald Heard, Mrs. Leland Hayward, Barklie McKee Henry, and Henry -- (Philadelphia). Also, the program for the memorial service for Leland Hayward (1971).
I and J. General, 1970-1990, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Invalids-at-Home (England), Grace Bristed Jackson, Jayne --, Jimmie -- (England).
K. General, 1978-1995, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Edward I. Koch (Mayor, New York), Alfred Kornfeld, Walter Kaiser, and Hans Kornberg.
Kissinger, Henry & Nancy, 1987-1996, inclusive
L. General, 1982-2001, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Barry M. Landau, Gertie Legendre, Paul Le Clerc, Carl Little, Joshua Lederberg, Laeticia Debon Compagna, and Liz--.
M. General, 1959-1997, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Clifford D. Mallory, Jr., Pauline Mallory, Judy Montague, Betsy F. Melcher, Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert Miller, Alma Morgan, Mab Molte, Mollie-- (Scotland), Rev. Paul Moore, Rev. Andrew C. Mead, Rev. James Parks Morton, Rev. Theodore E. McCarrick, Rev. Charles G. McDonagh, Municipal Art Society, and Museum of Modern Art.
Mary Rose Project (Society for the Archaeological Study of the Mary Rose), 1981-1982, inclusive
McEwen, Romana, 1983-1997, inclusive
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1978-2002, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, John Pope-Hennessy, Douglas Dillon, Richard R. Morsches, Merribell Parsons, and Philippe de Montebello.
Middle East Trip, 1980-1981, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds itineraries, photographs with Omar Zawawi and Henry and Nancy Kissinger in Israel, thank you and related letters, and program.
N. General, 1972-1988, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Richard Nixon (photocopy), Billy Norwid, Christian Norgren, Nin -- (London), New York University (James Hester), New York Public Library (Richard Couper), and New York Society Library (Spencer Byard).
New York Botanical Garden, 1994, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Letters concerning Fordham University's intent to build a radio tower near NYBG: general letter from NYGB requesting support in opposing the tower and exchange between Brooke Astor and New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani regarding her opposition.
New York Zoological Society, 1970-1978, inclusive
O and P. General, 1975-1992, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Archbishop John Cardinal O'Connor, L. Jay Oliva (NYU), J.H. Plumb, Dave Peck, Mrs. Henry Parish II, Walter Persegati, and Peter Pierpont Adams.
R. General, 1959, 1969-1999, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Jane Russell, Happy Rockefeller, Khalil Riad Rizk, Casey Ribicoff, Selwa Roosevelt, Dillon Ripley(?), Arthur Ross, Mike Ryan, John Richardson (House & Garden), Frederick P. Rose, Carola Rothschild, and Lydia and Roland Redmond.
Random House, 1989, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds the orginal executed agreement for Brooke Astor's introduction to the Library of America's edition of "The House of Mirth."
RMS Titanic, Inc., 1995, inclusive
Rockefeller, David, 1983-2000, inclusive
Rockefeller, Laurance & Mary, 1973-1975, inclusive
Rohatyn, Elizabeth, 1982-2001, inclusive
S. General (2 folders), 1958-1999, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, in the first folder: Lady Salter, Whitney Straight, Smithsonian (Dillon Ripley, David Challinor), Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Martin E. Segal, Percy E. Sutton, John T. Sargent, Peggy Scholz, Stella Saltonstall, Lizzie --, Sullivan & Cromwell; in the second folder: Richard Salomon, Chauncey Stillman.
Marchioness of Salisbury (Marjorie "Mollie" Olein), 1988-2001, inclusive
T. General, 1981-1996, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Robert H. Thayer, Blaine Trump, and F. George Trescher, Jr.
Tree, Marietta, 1989-1991, inclusive
Scope and Contents
In addition to a letter and postcard from Tree, the folder holds Tree's obituary and an essay forwarded by Tree to Brooke: "Northeast Harbor, Maine" by Frances Fitzgerald.
U.S. Navy, 1974-2001, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Relates at least in part to the Vincent Astor Memorial Leadership Essay Award.
V. General, 1986-1992, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Virginia House Settlement (restoration project), Peter F. Vallone, and Jean Vanderbilt.
W. General, 1959-1999, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Earl of Warwick, Benjamin Welles, Kimba Wood, Shelby White, Jayne Wrightsman, James Watt, Phyllis C. Wagner, Jane Weinberger, Duke of Wellington, Paul Wright, Jerauld Wright, Torsten N. Wiesel, and Rev. James G. Wilders.
Walters, Barbara, 1980-1999, inclusive
Z. General, 1983-1999, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include, among others, Paul Zahl and Qais Abdul Munim al Zawawi.
Zilkha, Cecile, 1984, inclusive
Unidentified correspondents, 1976-1998, inclusive
Condolence letters re: Brooke Astor, 2007, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Letters of condolence to Brooke Astor's son, Anthony Marshall, from New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, and travel writer Leila Hadley Luce.