Gertrude Gretsch

Gertrude Gretsch Astor ( Gretsch; August 1, 1923 – January 16, 1999) was an American socialite who was a member of the Astor family and later a titular countess.

Early life and career On August 1, 1923, Gertrude Gretsch was born in Brooklyn, New York to the wealthy . She was the daughter of Walter Gretsch, a son of the Gretsch Company founder Friedrich Gretsch, and Gertrude Gretsch. She went on to graduate from Smith College with a bachelor's degree.

Before her marriage, Astor worked for the Navy League and other charitable organizations on behalf of blind children.

For over 30 years, Astor was a board member of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

On September 18, 1944, in New York City, Gretsch married John Jacob Astor VI, son of Madeleine and Colonel John Jacob Astor IV. Astor's best man was his half-brother, artist John Henry Dick. For years, their marital problems were covered in the press. Astor and Gretsch divorced on August 2, 1954, after a four-year separation, though a Mexican divorce in Juárez. After ending his marriage, Astor married Dolly Fullman four days later. Astor and Fullman separated after 41 days of marriage. In 1956, Astor and Gretsch's divorce was ruled invalid. An American divorce soon followed, adjudicated by Justice Matthew M. Levy. Before their separation and divorce, the couple had a daughter:

Mary Jacqueline Astor (b. 1949), who married John Rozet Drexel IV (b. 1945), a son of John Rozet Drexel III and Mildred Sophia Noreen Stonor and 2x great-grandson of Anthony Joseph Drexel, in 1984.

In her divorce settlement, Gretsch received a 19-bedroom apartment at 998 Fifth Avenue and an interest in a building on the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 35th Street. Their wedding was attended by then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Death On January 16, 1999, Astor died at Glen Cove Hospital in Nassau County on Long Island, at the age of 75. She was interred at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.