Frederick Bruce Thomas (russian: Фёдор Фёдорович Томас, translit=Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas; November 4, 1872 – June 12, 1928) was an American from

Coahoma County, Mississippi Coahoma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,151. Its county seat is Clarksdale. The Clarksdale, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Coahoma County. It is loc ...

who became a prominent businessman in the entertainment industry of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and, later,

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. Thomas was born to former slaves Lewis and Hannah Thomas, who owned a farm in Coahoma County. After his father was murdered, he left Mississippi for

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, intending to work as a waiter but then moved to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, where he prospered and owned and operated a number of successful theaters and restaurants for 19 years. During the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

, he fled to İstanbul Turkey, where he had less success in business and went into debt. His passport request was denied by US consulate due to his slave past and he was unable to return to the United States and died in a debtor's prison. He was buried in the

Pangaltı Catholic Cemetery Pangaltı Roman Catholic Cemetery ( tr, Pangaltı Fransız Latin Katolik Mezarlığı), also known as ''Feriköy Latin Catholic Cemetery'', is a historic Christianity, Christian cemetery in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the largest Catholic cemetery in ...

References

External links

*For more information about Frederick Bruce Thomas, ''The Black Russian'', and Vladimir Alexandrov, se
https://www.valexandrov.com/the-black-russian
1872 births 1928 deaths African-American businesspeople American entertainment industry businesspeople American expatriates in Turkey American restaurateurs Businesspeople from Istanbul People from Mississippi Businesspeople from Moscow 20th-century African-American people American emigrants to the Russian Empire {{US-business-bio-1870s-stub

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