John Jacob Astor (July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848)

Astor was a German-American business magnate, merchant and investor
who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-
millionaire in the United States. He was the creator of the first trust in
America.

Astor arrived in New York following the American Revolutionary War
and built a fur-trading empire that extended to the Great Lakes region
and Canada, and later expanded into the American West and Pacific
coast. He diversified into real estate and later became a famous patron 
of the arts.

Graceland is located about ten miles south of Memphis, Tennessee

At 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 19, 1957, 22-year-old Elvis Presley, accompanied
by his parents, Gladys and Vernon met with real estate agent Virginia Grant
at Graceland. Elvis, along with his parents, signed the sales contract on the
spot as purchasers and a closing date was set for March 26.

The purchase was funded by a combination of $10,000 cash deposit, trade of a
previous home on Audubon Drive in Memphis for $55,000 and a mortgage of
$37,500.

Elvis on his horse at Graceland