George A. Hamid Jr. (November 25, 1918 – February 23, 2013) was an entrepreneur who made major contributions to America's outdoor amusement and entertainment industry. He established significant productions during the 20th century for

fairs A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

es,

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

s and

exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing **Exposition (narrative) *Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut album by the band Wax on Radio *Exposi ...

s. His father was George A. Hamid Sr. After graduating from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1940 and serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he built a portfolio of piers and eight

Boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bridge ...

theaters in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

from 1946 to 1975, including

Steel Pier The Steel Pier is a 1,000-foot-long () amusement park built on a pier of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly the Trump Taj Mahal). Begun in 1898, it was one of the most po ...

and the

Million Dollar Pier Playground Pier is a four-story pier located on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey that houses a luxury shopping and restaurant mall. Located at the foot of Arkansas Avenue, it is connected to Caesars casino via a second-story skybridg ...

, and was known as 'king of the Boardwalk'. He sold the properties in 1975 to run the

New Jersey State Fair The New Jersey State Fair is a non-profit agricultural fair held every June 18 - July 11 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, New Jersey. The fair has been held in conjunction with the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show since 1999 and dra ...

, which he ran until 1996. Hamid also operated the

Trenton Speedway Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway. Racing histor ...

in Hamilton which operated for nearly 80 years, a majority of the time with his father owning it before handing it off to Hamid Jr, The track closed in 1980. Hamid Jr. was always proud of the auto racing that was staged at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds and at Trenton. After that, the family concentrated on their original entertainment genre with the Hamid Royale circus.http://articles.philly.com/2013-02-26/news/37291181_1_steel-pier-circus-performer-business-manager

References

External links

Hamid Circus
official website 1918 births 2013 deaths American entertainment industry businesspeople American entertainers American circus owners Princeton University alumni 20th-century American businesspeople American military personnel of World War II {{US-business-bio-1910s-stub