John T. Ford
| John T. Ford | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
John Thompson Ford April 16, 1829 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Died |
(aged 64) Baltimore, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Theater manager |
| Years active | 1854–1890s |
John Thompson Ford (April 16, 1829 – March 14, 1894) was an American theater manager in the nineteenth century. He is most notable for operating Ford's Theatre at the time of the Abraham Lincoln assassination.
Ford was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and was the son of Elias and Anna (née Greanor) Ford. His ancestors were early Maryland settlers and some of them took part in the American Revolution. For a few years he attended public school in Baltimore and then became a clerk in his uncle’s tobacco factory in Richmond, Virginia. Not caring for this work, he became a bookseller.
Working as a bookseller in Richmond, Ford then wrote a farce dealing with contemporary life. The farce was entitled Richmond As It Is, and was produced by a minstrel company called the Nightingale Serenaders. This farce was fairly successful, and George Kunkel, the owner and manager of the Serenaders, offered Ford a position with the organization. He accepted, and for several seasons traveled as business manager of this company throughout the United States and Canada.
In 1854, Ford assumed control of the Holliday Street Theater, Baltimore, which he managed for twenty-five years. Later, he built the Grand Opera House in that city in 1871.
Ford also was responsible for creating three theaters in Washington, D.C. He opened his first theatre on Tenth Street in 1861. After it was destroyed by fire the following year, he rebuilt the structure on the same site and called it Ford's Theatre.
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