Oscar
Hammerstein was born in Stettin, Germany,
in 1847. At the age of sixteen Hammerstein emigrated to the United
States.
After settling in New York City Hammerstein
found work in a cigar factory. He eventually made a large fortune
by inventing a machine for spreading tobacco leaves. He also successfully
invested in real estate.
Hammerstein wrote and composed the music for several theatre productions.
Hammerstein also provided the money for the building of several theatres
in New York, Philadelphia
and London. This included the Manhattan
Opera House (1906).
Oscar Hammerstein, whose grandson, Oscar Hammerstein II, wrote a series
of successful musicals including Desert Song,
Oklahoma!, South
Pacific, The King and I
and The Sound of Music, died in
1919.
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