Which American businessman was the wealthiest passenger to die on the Titanic?

John Jacob Astor IV was the wealthiest passenger to die on the Titanic.

Astor was an American business magnate, real-estate developer, investor, and member of the prominent Astor family. When he died in the sinking on April 15, 1912, his estate was valued at roughly $87 million, making him one of the richest people in the world. His fortune came largely from New York real estate and family wealth, though he also pursued business ventures and wrote a science-fiction novel.

Astor boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg with his pregnant 18-year-old wife, Madeleine Force Astor. Because women and children were given priority in the evacuation, Madeleine survived; Astor did not. Their son, John Jacob Astor VI, was born several months after the disaster.

Other wealthy passengers, including Isidor Straus and Benjamin Guggenheim, also died, but neither was generally regarded as wealthier than Astor. J. P. Morgan was connected to the ship’s ownership through International Mercantile Marine but was not a passenger on the Titanic.