Col. William E. Sinn

Sinn, Col. William E. (1834?–99), manager. He was born in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., and spent several years as a traveling salesman before going into partnership with his brother‐in‐law Leonard B. Grover in 1861. Within a few years they had several theatres in the D.C. area as well as in Cincinnati. On his own he took over Philadelphia's Chestnut Street Theatre in 1864 and the Front Street Theatre in Baltimore in 1869. However, Sinn was most successful after moving his base to Brooklyn in 1875, quickly turning the Park Theatre there into the city's leading house. Although he never served in any army, he was made a colonel in the Confederate forces for his help in enlisting men during the Civil War.