A. Paul Keith | |
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| Born | Andrew Paul Keith (1875-01-03)January 3, 1875[1] New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 30, 1918(1918-10-30) (aged 43) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Theater owner |
Andrew Paul Keith (January 3, 1875 – October 30, 1918) was an Americanvaudeville theater owner who took over theB. F. Keith Circuit following the death of his father,Benjamin Franklin Keith.
Keith began working in the theater at a young age and in 1893 was put in charge of bookings forKeith's Theatre, which opened the following year.[2] He graduated fromHarvard 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 inPhiladelphia.[3] In 1906, B. F. Keith combined his New York and New Jersey assets with those ofF. 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 andPercy G. Williams andOscar Hammerstein.[6] In 1908, Keith served as acting general manager of the United Booking Office whileE. 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 ofmovie theaters.[10]
In 1915, Keith was elected president of theBoston Athletic Association.[1]
On October 25, 1918, Keith came down with theSpanish flu. He died on October 30, 1918, at the home of a business associate.[11] He left an estate worth $3.8 million.($80,920,000 in 2024 dollars),[12][13] A lifelong bachelor, his business holdings were inherited by Albee and other business partners, while his personal assets were given to CardinalWilliam Henry O'Connell and Harvard College.[14] O'Connell used the money to create theKeith Academy and Keith Hall inLowell, Massachusetts.[15]