Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith (February 8, 1871 – February 25, 1958) was an American vaudeville performer,
clubwoman
The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States that established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While women's organizations had always been a part ...
, and businesswoman, based in Los Angeles.
Early life
Lillian Burkhart was born in
Allegheny, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Adolph Burkhart and Rosalie Cirker Burkhart. Her parents were both Jewish immigrants: her father was born in Russia, and her mother was born in Germany. Lillian trained as a teacher in the Pittsburgh area.
[Katy Lain]
"Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith: Shaping the City"
''Southern California Quarterly'' 89(3)(Fall 2007): 285-306.
Career
In her early years, Lillian Burkhart produced and performed in more than two dozen one-act sketches, and was remembered as "the foremost comedienne in vaudeville". After she married her second husband and moved to California, she continued giving recitations and dramatic readings, often for community groups, and she produced "municipal pageants" and theatrical events, including a benefit show for the victims of the
1906 San Francisco earthquake
At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity sha ...
, and the Los Angeles pageant marking Shakespeare's tercentenary.
In Los Angeles she was an officer of the Ebell Club, the founder and first president of the Philanthropy and Civics Club (beginning in 1919), and the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the
National Council of Jewish Women (from 1924 to 1930). She developed a successful career of buying and improving property in the growing city, and funded the building of clubhouses for several of philanthropic organizations.
She established the first Girl Scout Council in Los Angeles, and was its first commissioner.
[Myra Nye]
"Club Leader Carrying On: Mrs. Lillian Goldsmith Combats Grief"
''Los Angeles Times'' (June 24, 1928): C29. She began and funded the Lillian Burkhart Fund, which supported college scholarships for disadvantaged students.
Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith lectured against
prohibition. She was monitored and questioned by the U. S. Justice Department during World War I, because her mother was German and because she gave a lecture, "What the World is Thinking and Feeling", which was perceived as possibly influencing clubwomen against the American war effort.
Personal life
Lillian Burkhart was married to a fellow vaudeville performer, Charles Dickson, in 1891; the couple appeared in shows together. She married George Goldsmith in 1903. They had a daughter, Rosalie Faith Goldsmith, born in 1904. Lillian was widowed in 1928,
and died in 1958, aged 87 years.
"Mrs. Lillian Goldsmith, Civic Worker, Dies; Founder-Member of the Hollywood Bowl, She Was Also Active in Philanthropies"
''Los Angeles Times'' (February 26, 1958): A10.
References
External links
Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith's gravesite
at Find a Grave.
A photograph of Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith taken in 1956
when she was 85 years old; in the collection of the USC Digital Library.
A silk fan donated by Lillian B. Goldsmith
to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Another silk fan donated by Lillian B. Goldsmith
to the Los Angeles County Community of Art.
*Katherine Lain
(M. A. thesis, California State University at Northridge 2010).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsmith, Lillian Burkhart
1871 births
1958 deaths
People from Los Angeles
Clubwomen