Andrew Paul Keith (January 3, 1875 – October 30, 1918) was an American vaudeville theater owner who took over the B. F. Keith Circuit following the death of his father, Benjamin Franklin Keith.
A. Paul Keith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Andrew Paul Keith January 3, 1875[1] New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 30, 1918 (aged 43) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Theater owner |
Biography edit
Keith began working in the theater at a young age and in 1893 was put in charge of bookings for Keith's Theatre, which opened the following year.[2] He graduated from Harvard College in 1901.[1]
By 1905, he was the assistant general manager of the Keith chain. When he turned 30, his father gifted him the Bijou Theatre in Philadelphia.[3] In 1906, B. F. Keith combined his New York and New Jersey assets with those of F. F. Proctor to create the Keith and Proctor Amusement Company.[4] A. Paul Keith served as treasurer of Keith & Proctor until the partnership was dissolved in 1911.[5] In 1907, Keith became secretary–treasurer of the United Booking Office of America, which was a partnership between Keith & Proctor and Percy G. Williams and Oscar Hammerstein.[6] In 1908, Keith served as acting general manager of the United Booking Office while E. F. Albee recovered from injuries suffered in an automobile accident.[7]
Prior to his father's death in 1914, Keith and Edward F. Albee acquired control of the Keith circuit's 29 theaters.[8][9] The pair also owned a chain of movie theaters.[10]
In 1915, Keith was elected president of the Boston Athletic Association.[1]
On October 25, 1918, Keith came down with the Spanish flu. He died on October 30, 1918, at the home of a business associate.[11] He left an estate worth $3.8 million.($78,410,000 in 2023 dollars),[12][13] A lifelong bachelor, his business holdings were inherited by Albee and other business partners, while his personal assets were given to Cardinal William Henry O'Connell and Harvard College.[14] O'Connell used the money to create the Keith Academy and Keith Hall in Lowell, Massachusetts.[15]
References edit
- ^ a b c "A. Paul Keith Heads the B. A. A." Boston Evening Transcript. April 28, 1915. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "Keith's New Theater". The Boston Globe. March 25, 1894.
- ^ "Father To Son". The Evening Telegraph. January 4, 1905. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "Keith and Proctor Come Together". Newark Sunday Call. May 13, 1906. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "Keith-Proctor Co. To Be Dissolved". The New York Times. July 28, 1911.
- ^ "No Details Known Here". Boston Evening Transcript. February 13, 1907. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "Keith Goes to Take Albee's Place". The Boston Globe. November 17, 1908.
- ^ "In Charge of 29 Houses". The Boston Globe. April 1, 1914.
- ^ "Keith Interest Go To His Son". The Evening News. April 1, 1914. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "Movies Don't Interfere". The Montreal Gazette. March 24, 1913. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "A. Paul Keith Dies In New York". The Boston Globe. October 31, 1918.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "A. Paul Keith Left $3,870,756 Estate". The Boston Globe. July 22, 1919.
- ^ "Friends Share Bulk of A. Paul Keith Estate". The Boston Globe. November 1, 1918.
- ^ "Lowell Catholic - Keith". Retrieved 2019-12-31.