Caroline Schermerhorn Astor Wilson (October 10, 1861 – September 13, 1948) was an American heiress, social leader, and prominent member of New York society.
Early life
Caroline Schermerhorn Astor was born in New York City on October 10, 1861, and was known as "Carrie". She was the fourth of five children born to William Backhouse Astor Jr. and Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, leader of the "Four Hundred". Her three elder sisters were Emily Astor, who married socialite James Van Alen; Helen Astor, who married diplomat James Roosevelt Roosevelt (the elder half-brother of future president Franklin D. Roosevelt); and Charlotte Astor, who married James Coleman Drayton and, after his death, George Ogilvy Haig. She had one younger brother, Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, who died aboard the RMS Titanic in 1912.
Carrie was a descendant of many prominent Americans. Her paternal grandparents were William Backhouse Astor Sr. and Margaret (née Armstrong) Astor while her maternal grandparents were Abraham Schermerhorn and Helen Van Courtlandt (née White) Schermerhorn. She was also a great-granddaughter of John Jacob Astor, America's first millionaire, wealthy merchant Peter Schemerhorn, and Continental major and U.S. Senator John Armstrong Jr. and Alida (née Livingston) Armstrong. Her uncle John Jacob Astor III was the father of William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor.
Carrie grew up at her parents' New York brownstone, 350 Fifth Avenue, at the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, known for its ballroom.
Society life
In 1883, wealthy socialite Alva Vanderbilt, the then wife of railroad tycoon William Kissam Vanderbilt, planned an elaborate masquerade ball for 1,000 guests (reportedly costing $3 million) to celebrate the opening of her new home at 660 Fifth Avenue, known as the William K. Vanderbilt House. The ball was to feature entertainment given by young society figures, including a dance which young Carrie was to participate in. However, at the last minute, Carrie learned that she was not invited, because Carrie's mother, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor - the Mrs. Astor and the undisputed head of New York society, had never formally "called upon" Alva. In order to appease Carrie and allow her to attend the ball, Mrs. Astor proceeded to send her calling card to the Vanderbilts' residence prior to Alva's lavish ball. Alva then extended an invitation to the Astors and they attended the ball. Reciprocally, Mrs. Astor invited the Vanderbilts to her annual ball, which was considered a formal acknowledgement of the Vanderbilts' full acceptance into the upper echelon of New York society.
After her 1884 marriage, Carrie became a noted society hostess in her own right. Despite her family's initial reluctance at the marriage, her father purchased them a new home at 414 Fifth Avenue (not far from her parents at 350 Fifth) as a wedding present, which was furnished by Wilson's father.
For many years, Carrie and her sister-in-law, Grace Vanderbilt, shared Box 3 at the Metropolitan Opera House, "alternating as hostess on opening night."
Move uptown
After her mother's fallout with Carrie's cousin William Waldorf Astor over the use of the name "Mrs. Astor", which led to the construction of the opulent Waldorf Hotel next to her mother's residence, Mrs. Astor decamped from 34th Street and tore down Carrie's childhood home to build the larger and even more grand Astor Hotel. Her mother also built a new Astor residence uptown, at the northeast corner of Fifth and East 65th Street, for Mrs. Astor and Carrie's brother, John Jacob Astor IV, at 841 and 840 Fifth Avenue and designed by society architect Richard Morris Hunt. At the inaugural ball at her mother's new residence on February 3, 1896, Carrie led the cotillion in the new ballroom while her brother's wife (the former Ava Lowle Willing) led the cotillion from the other side.
The feud with Carrie's cousin extended to Carrie as well and led her husband to hire Warren and Wetmore to design an uptown residence for the couple on East 64th Street. Wilson bought the property in 1896, began construction in 1900, and the six-story limestone mansion with forty rooms was completed in 1903. Carrie's house was around the corner from her mother and located at the northeast corner of Fifth and East 65th Street. The sixty-five feet wide residence had a Beaux Arts facade of Indiana Limestone and a mansard roof of blue slate and featured five bays and featured a circular atrium. On January 21, 1904, Carrie hosted the first large party in their new house, which featured a performance by opera singers Mme. Lillian Nordica and Enrico Caruso.