As we celebrate our 130th anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to the diverse people of Queens and to providing free access to information and opportunity for all. The Library’s long legacy as a cornerstone of democracy remains as vital now as ever, and we look forward to a future rooted in connection, community, growth, and understanding. This collection spotlights individuals featured in the Queens Name Explorer who have worked for, supported, or in other ways impacted QPL and our communities. Join us in celebrating this milestone! Learn more at Queens Public Library.

Queens Public Library Connection John Jacob Astor was born in Walldorf near Heidelberg, in what is now Germany. His father was a butcher and Astor spent his youth working in his father's shop. At the age of 20 and emigrated to the United State. Astor made his fortune as a fur trader, among other business dealings. Later in life, he invested in New York City real estate and was the first multi-millionaire in the United States. Astor was a patron of the Arts, and he made many charitable bequests by his will. Notably, he left $400,000 to found the Astor Library, now part of the New York Public Library system. In 1839 another prominent fur trader, Stephen A. Halsey, bought a large swathe of land along the East River. He incorporated the village and changed the name to Astoria, after his mentor: the millionaire John Jacob Astor, in the hope that Astor would invest in the area. Though Astor only invested $500, the neighborhood and later it's branch of the Queens Public Library, bears his name.