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

(1875-01-03)January 3, 1875[1]
DiedOctober 30, 1918(1918-10-30) (aged 43)
New York, New York, U.S.
Alma mater
OccupationTheater owner

Biography

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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

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  1. ^ a b c "A. Paul Keith Heads the B. A. A." Boston Evening Transcript. April 28, 1915. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Keith's New Theater". The Boston Globe. March 25, 1894.
  3. ^ "Father To Son". The Evening Telegraph. January 4, 1905. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Keith and Proctor Come Together". Newark Sunday Call. May 13, 1906. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Keith-Proctor Co. To Be Dissolved". The New York Times. July 28, 1911.
  6. ^ "No Details Known Here". Boston Evening Transcript. February 13, 1907. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Keith Goes to Take Albee's Place". The Boston Globe. November 17, 1908.
  8. ^ "In Charge of 29 Houses". The Boston Globe. April 1, 1914.
  9. ^ "Keith Interest Go To His Son". The Evening News. April 1, 1914. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Movies Don't Interfere". The Montreal Gazette. March 24, 1913. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  11. ^ "A. Paul Keith Dies In New York". The Boston Globe. October 31, 1918.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "A. Paul Keith Left $3,870,756 Estate". The Boston Globe. July 22, 1919.
  14. ^ "Friends Share Bulk of A. Paul Keith Estate". The Boston Globe. November 1, 1918.
  15. ^ "Lowell Catholic - Keith". Retrieved 2019-12-31.