Robert T. Motts was an African American saloon owner and gambling racket leader, who established and managed Chicago's Pekin Theatre, an epicenter of African-American theater.
[3] His father, Thomas Motts, was a coal dealer in Muscatine, Iowa and died during the Civil War.
At the age of 18, Motts left for St. Louis and later Chicago, where he worked odd jobs and then as a coachman for four years.
[3] Eventually he bought out his business partners' shares and began to develop the Pekin Theatre.
[2] Motts' health began to decline, but he continued to devote his time to managing the theatre.