Plain Madeleine: Mrs. John Jacob Astor in Bar Harbor - Paperbackby Mac Smith (Author) The story of Madeleine and Colonel John Jacob Astor is very much part of the story of Bar Harbor, Maine. The relatively poor Madeleine Force met Colonel Astor, the third richest man in the United States, in Bar Harbor in 1910. The vicious scandal after they're wedding caused the newlyweds to board the Titanic to return to America; the ensuing tragedy would claim the life of the colonel. Madeleine Astor returned to Bar Harbor