Jacob J. Shubert
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jacob J. Shubert (c. 1879 – December 26, 1963) was an American theatre owner/operator and producer and a member of the famous theatrical Shubert family.


Biography

Born in Vladislavov, in the Suwałki Governorate of
Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...
, a part of the Russian Empire (present-day Kudirkos Naumiestis,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
), (according to his obituary, he was born in Syracuse"The Curtain Falls for J. J. Shubert,"
'St. Petersburg Times'', December 27, 1963.
) he was the sixth child and third son of Duvvid Schubart and Katrina Helwitz, a Jewish couple. Jacob was still a small child when the family emigrated in 1881 to the United States,"Shubert Brothers
pbs.org, accessed June 7, 2009
settling in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
where a number of Jewish families from their hometown were already living. His father's alcoholism kept the family in difficult financial circumstances and both he and his older brothers received little in the way of education and had no choice but to go to work at a young age. With borrowed money, he and brothers
Sam Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional ...
and Lee Shubert eventually embarked on a business venture that led to them becoming the successful operators of several theatre houses in upstate New York. The Shubert brothers decided to expand their theatrical operations and in 1900 Sam and Lee Shubert moved to New York City leaving Jacob at home to manage their existing theatres. In New York, the elder Shuberts laid the foundations for what was to become the largest theatre empire in the 20th century including Broadway's Winter Garden and Shubert Theatres. In 1905 Sam Shubert was traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on business when the passenger train he was on collided with several freight cars. Shubert died as a result of the injuries he sustained. His death changed the brothers' business dynamics and Jacob assumed a much larger role. Together, although often feuding, Jacob and Lee Shubert overcame the stranglehold on the industry by the Theatrical Syndicate's monopoly under
Abe Erlanger Abraham Lincoln Erlanger (May 4, 1859 – March 7, 1930) was an American theatrical producer, director, designer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Biography Erlanger was born to a Jewish family
and
Mark Klaw Marc Klaw, (born Marcus Alonzo Klaw, May 29, 1858 – June 14, 1936) was an American lawyer, theatrical producer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Life and work Referred to as both Mark and Marc, he was born in ...
to build the largest theatre empire in the 20th century. Jacob Shubert's son, John, took over as head of the operations in the 1950s but died unexpectedly on November 17, 1962 and a year later, Jacob died around age 84. Jacob apparently was not made aware of his son's death. He was divorced from his wife, Katherine, in 1917, but was married to Muriel at the time of his death."Divorce for Mrs. Shubert,"
'The New York Times'', February 11, 1917
He was interred in the family plot in the
Salem Fields Cemetery Salem Fields Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 775 Jamaica Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, United States, within the Cemetery Belt. It was founded in 1852 by Temple Emanu-el. Salem Fields is the final ...
in Brooklyn, New York. He left a substantial portion of his assets to the Shubert Foundation, and by 1972, the assets of his estate totalled $60 million.


References


Further reading

* Jonas Westover (2017). '' The Shuberts and Their Passing Shows: The Untold Tale of Ziegfeld's Rivals'', Oxford University Press


External links

*
"Who's Who in Musicals", John Kenrick, musicals101.com
* ''Shubert Organization'' * ''Shubert Foundation biography'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Shubert, Jacob J. 1879 births 1963 deaths People from Kudirkos Naumiestis People from Suwałki Governorate Lithuanian Jews Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American theatre managers and producers Businesspeople from New York City Businesspeople from Syracuse, New York Shubert Organization Burials at Salem Fields Cemetery