Claire Rochester

Claire Rochester

Claire Rochester circa 1916 on her car tour
Born Claire Rochester
(1893-10-20)October 20, 1893
Atlanta, Georgia
Died April 16, 1921(1921-04-16) (aged 27)
Memphis, Tennessee
Other names Claire Rochester Miller
Spouse(s) Miller
Parent(s) John B. Rochester
Jane Bryant

Claire Rochester (May 10, 1893 - April 16, 1921) was a vaudeville performer.[1]

Biography

She was born in Atlanta, Georgia on May 10, 1893 to John B. Rochester and Jane Bryant. Her father was a judge of the court of appeals. Her mother was from Gordon County, Georgia. She was a descendant of Nathaniel Rochester, the founder of Rochester, New York.

Claire Rochester moved to Boston, Massachusetts to study at the Boston Conservatory of Music. She starred in Lew Fields production of All Aboard (play). High class vaudeville promoters competed for her services and she headlined as a two-a-day attraction following her stint with Fields.[2]

In March 1916 she was among the entertainers in the Midnight Frolic produced by Flo Ziegfeld. The New Amsterdam Roof also featured performances by Will Rogers, the Dolly Sisters dancers and Oscar Shaw.[3] One of the venues where she appeared was the Hippodrome Theatre, New York City.[4] In August 1917 she was a part of a musical revue presented there which was staged by R.H. Burnside.[5]

Rochester was active in the Liberty Bond movement during World War I. A car enthusiast, she took part in an automobile tour from New York City to San Francisco in 1917, to raise money for the war effort.[6] She drove an Apperson Roadaplane on a previous coast-to-coast trip, establishing a record run.[2]

Claire Rochester Miller died April 16, 1921 in Memphis, Tennessee.[1]

External links

References

  1. 1 2 "Mrs. Claire Rochester Miller Died Saturday. Was Famous Actress Who Formerly Visited in Gordon County Frequently". Calhoun Times. April 21, 1921. Retrieved 2014-01-11. Mrs. Miller was formerly Miss Claire Rochester, and was famous throughout the United States as an actress ...
  2. 1 2 Miss Rochester Coming To Sipe Next Week, Kokomo, Indiana Daily Tribune, October 19, 1916, pg. 9.
  3. ↑ Roof Top Fun, New York Times, March 12, 1916, pg. X9.
  4. ↑ "Variety Is The Spill Of The Revue". New York Times. August 5, 1917. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  5. ↑ Display Ad 206--No Title, New York Times, August 19, 1917, pg. X3.
  6. ↑ Claire Rochester Will Do Her Bit To Help Out On Liberty Bond Sale, Lowell Sun, May 25, 1917, pg. 18.
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