The Four Hundred
In Gilded Age New York, Mrs Caroline (Schermerhorn) Astor - aka the Mrs Astor - and her friend, Ward McAllister, drew up a list of the 400-people that in their opinion represented the cream of New York society. The prerequisites for inclusion stipulated that those listed had to come from families who'd enjoyed at least three generations of wealth, and were people who felt at ease in the grandest ballrooms. After years of speculation, McAllister eventually released a list of what was by then 265-names - those listed here in alphabetical order - that was duly published in The New York Times, February 16, 1892.
1
2
5
8
10
13
15
16
18
21
27
33
35
39
40
41
49
58
59
61
63
64
68
69
70
73
76
81
83
87
93
94
97
100
101
104
105
109
111
112
116
122
125
131
135
139
141
143
144
145
147
151
152
153
168
170
171
172
173
178
181
183
184
190
191
192
193
195
196
200
206
208
216
217
219
220
222
224
226
227
231
233
237
238
240
242
246
250
251
257
259
261
264