Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith
Vaudeville performer, clubwoman, and businesswoman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith (February 8, 1871 – February 25, 1958) was an American vaudeville performer, clubwoman, and businesswoman, based in Los Angeles.
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Charles Dickson(m. 1891)
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George Goldsmith(m. 1903, d. 1928)
Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith | |
|---|---|
 Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith, in a 1922 publication | |
| Born | February 8, 1871 Allegheny, Pennsylvania |
| Died | February 25, 1958 (aged 87) |
| Occupations | Vaudeville performer, clubwoman, and businesswoman |
| Spouses |
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| Children | Rosalie Faith Goldsmith |
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.[1]
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".[2][3][4] After she married her second husband and moved to California, she continued giving recitations and dramatic readings,[5] often for community groups,[6] and she produced "municipal pageants" and theatrical events, including a benefit show for the victims of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and the Los Angeles pageant marking Shakespeare's tercentenary.[7][8][9][10]
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),[11] and the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women (from 1924 to 1930).[12] She developed a successful career of buying and improving property in the growing city,[13] and funded the building of clubhouses for several of philanthropic organizations.[1] She established the first Girl Scout Council in Los Angeles, and was its first commissioner.[14] She began and funded the Lillian Burkhart Fund, which supported college scholarships for disadvantaged students.[15]
Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith lectured against prohibition.[16] 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.[17]
Personal life
Lillian Burkhart was married to a fellow vaudeville performer, Charles Dickson, in 1891; the couple appeared in shows together.[18][19] She married George Goldsmith in 1903. They had a daughter, Rosalie Faith Goldsmith, born in 1904. Lillian was widowed in 1928,[14] and died in 1958, aged 87 years.[20]
