Biography:

Frank Dumont (1848-1919), born in New York to French immigrants, began performing in blackface minstrel troupes as a youngster. He moved to Philadelphia while a young man and in 1895 purchased a theater, where he produced minstrel shows exclusively. In 1911 he moved to a different theater, which became known as Dumont’s theater, and managed a troupe called “Dumont’s Minstrels.” He was married twice; his first marriage ended in divorce and his second wife, Nellie (b. 1857) outlived him by twenty years. Frank Dumont worked until his death in 1919. He died in the box office of his theater.