Billy Gallagher (businessman)
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Billy Gallagher | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1869 (1869) |
| Died | March 5, 1934(1934-03-05) (aged 64–65) New York City, US |
| Occupations | Businessman and restaurant owner |
| Known for | Cabaret business |
| Children | 3, (including Walter Gallagher) |
William J. Gallagher (c. 1869 – March 5, 1934) was an American businessman and New York City restaurant owner, whose Times Square cabarets and night clubs were known for their entertainment, celebrities and late night festivities. He operated establishments along Broadway in Midtown Manhattan for more than four decades, from the time he arrived in New York around 1890 until his death.[1]
Gallagher was born in Camden, New Jersey, in 1869.[2] His father owned a saloon in Camden. He left for New York City when he was 18 years old.[3]
Career
Gallagher moved to New York in 1887, and worked in a restaurant. He was a part-owner of a restaurant on Carmine Street from 1894, and opened a restaurant named Broadway Gardens at 711 Seventh Avenue in 1911, which developed a reputation for good luck, based on the number of the address.[4] He also ran a restaurant in Times Square near 47th Street, where he introduced singing waiters,[4] a gimmick that had begun in the Bowery.[2]
Gallagher was well-known in the cabaret business, and was nicknamed "Little Billy,"[2] due to his height of 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m).[5] The New York Times described his cabaret as one that opened after the sun set and picked up business when other establishments closed at midnight, remaining open until dawn with a mix of "reputable people" and those "who had practical reasons for circulating after dark".[2] After New York City passed a curfew law requiring establishments to close at 1:00 am, Gallagher had at first observed the letter of the law, but ultimately developed a workaround under which patrons would be escorted out when the curfew went into effect and then would be welcomed back in after 15 minutes to continue their partying.[6]
During the Prohibition Era, Gallagher's establishments were among the first that were padlocked by U.S. Attorney Emory Buckner.[2] In 1923, Abigail Harding, sister of then-President Warren G. Harding, visited Gallagher's establishment in Times Square.[7]
In 1923, Gallagher took over management of the Monte Carlo restaurant at 51st Street and Broadway, with National Hotel Review calling him "one of the most popular cabaret owners in the city."[8]
Then a resident of Bayonne, New Jersey, Gallagher opened Club Lido in 1932, a nightclub on 52nd Street and Broadway, where he preferentially hired staff from Bayonne and other areas nearby in New Jersey.[9] Gallagher advertised a revue by Charles Elbey that advertised 16 blondes, brunettes, and redheads.[10]
Personal life and legacy
Over his career, notable patrons of his establishments and personal friends included Mayor of New York City Jimmy Walker and heavyweight boxers Jack Dempsey and Luis Ángel Firpo.[4] Singer Helen Morgan kicked off her professional career after being asked to sing at the piano while dining at one of Gallagher's restaurants.[4]
His son, Walter Gallagher, became chief of police in Hackensack, New Jersey;[4] he had two other sons, Bernard and Joseph.[4]
A resident of Jackson Heights, Queens, Gallagher died on March 5, 1934, in New York,[2][11] and was buried on March 8 in Calvary Cemetery in Camden.[12] He was known to be generous to people who asked him for money, particularly to those who had been his customers in the past.[4] Over his lifetime he had amassed a fortune estimated at $1 million (equivalent to $24 million in 2024), which he gave away to friends and to the needy.[2][4]
References
- ↑ "Billy' Gallagher Dies in 69th Year. Broadway Character Will Be Buried Wednesday", Brooklyn Times-Union. Accessed January 31, 2026, via Newspapers.com. " William J. Gallagher, 68, familiarly known along Broadway as Billy Gallagher, died yesterday morning at the Medical Arts Sanitarium, 57th st., Manhattan after an eight-weeks' illness He was born in Camden, N. J., and 45 years ago came to Broadway and entered the café business. Since then he has never been off Broadway or its environs, except during recent summers, when his he has divided his time between his Manhattan place and a summer cabaret at Rockaway."
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Billy Gallagher, Café Owner, Dies: Was Among the First to Bring Singing Waiters to Night Life Along Broadway". The New York Times. p. 15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ↑ "W. J. Gallagher Rites Held at Sister's Home", Courier-Post, March 9, 1934. Accessed January 31, 2026, via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Young, Edgar L. (February 1, 1961). "Police Chief's Dad Was A Famous Restaurateur". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey.
- ↑ "Obituary", New York Daily News, March 5, 1934. Accessed January 31, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "He was only 5 feet 5 inches tall, hence the name of Little Billy."
- ↑ "Revellers Deaf When Cabaret Curfew Tolls; Law's Bell Clangs at 1 A. M., but Places There Are Where Jangles Fall Unheard.", New-York Tribune, October 13, 1913. Accessed December 3, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Joel's 'Bohemian Refreshery,' No. 206 West 41st street, is the chief stronghold of the folk who are carrying on the guerilla warfare against the closing rule. "The Birthplace of the Cabaret" is the claim advanced in a sub-title, but here, undoubtedly, Billy Gallagher's, at No. 727 Seventh avenue, might take issue. At neither Joel's nor Gallagher's is the curfew absolutely disregarded, it is interpreted out of existence. As the rule is applied at Gallagher's the place must be closed at 1 o'clock, but need not remain in that state for more than a short period. Accordingly, the patrons of the place are taken to a hallway on an upper floor at 1 o'clock and compelled to wait for about fifteen minutes."
- ↑ "'Lovely,' Says Miss Harding of 'Village' Trip", Cleveland Plain-Dealer, March 24, 1923. Accessed January 31, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "Miss Harding and her party first went to Billy Gallagher's cabaret in Times Square. Miss Harding had a bottle of pop and a club sandwich, but she didn't stay long as the village was calling."
- ↑ "William J. Gallagher Takes Monte Carlo Restaurant", National Hotel Review, July 7, 1923. Accessed January 31, 2026. "'Billy' Gallagher has taken over the Monte Carlo, at 51st street and Broadway, from the Salvin-Thompson interests, and is featuring a snappy musical comedy production and an elaborate $2 table d'hote dinner. Mr. Gallagher is one of the most popular cabaret owners in the city, and he has scored a splendid success."
- ↑ "Jersey Man Reopens N. Y. Night Club", The Jersey Journal, October 25, 1932. Accessed January 31, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "Billy Gallagher, Bayonne resident, recently opened the Club Lido restaurant at Broadway and 52nd St., New York."
- ↑ "Lido Gardens Restaurant", Brooklyn Eagle, December 1, 1932. Accessed January 31, 2026, via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Billy Gallagher, Café Owner, Dies", Brooklyn Eagle, March 5, 1934. Accessed January 31, 2026, via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Burial of Billy Gallagher". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. March 9, 1934. p. 2. Retrieved December 3, 2025.