Claire Rochester (May 10, 1893 - April 16, 1921) was a vaudeville performer.
Biography Claire Rochester 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.
She 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.
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.Roof Top Fun, The New York Times, March 12, 1916, pg. X9. One of the venues where she appeared was the Hippodrome Theatre, New York City. In August 1917 she was a part of a musical revue presented there which was staged by R.H. Burnside.Display Ad 206--No Title, The New York Times, August 19, 1917, pg. X3.
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.Claire Rochester Will Do Her Bit To Help Out On Liberty Bond Sale, Lowell Sun, May 25, 1917, pg. 18. She drove an Apperson Roadaplane on a previous coast-to-coast trip, establishing a record run.Miss Rochester Coming To Sipe Next Week, Kokomo, Indiana Daily Tribune, October 19, 1916, pg. 9.
Claire Rochester Miller died April 16, 1921, in Memphis, Tennessee.
References
External links
Liberty Fund, Lincoln Highway tour newspaper, retrieved on 2-13-08.