Theatrical Producer. He received recognition as being an American theatrical producer in the early 20th century, who was known for his brilliant business mind, a keen observer of the popular culture, and for his ability for making a living being a bad actor. The name "Corse" was given him by his father, who had served in the Civil War under General John M. Corse in the Sixth Iowa Infantry. Educated in Centerville Schools, he was at the top of his class in speech making and drama but often found himself in trouble for misbehaving. At a young age of fourteen, he left home in search of excitement and joined a traveling circus making famous his black-faced minstrel act. A few months later, his father found him and brought him home. His father was amazed that a person could make the money he did from acting. Within a short time, he left home again to join another circus, thus beginning his theatrical career. Along with his older brother, Senter, a few cousins, and other family members, he formed a touring company that successfully performed anything from Shakespeare to comedy. It was during this time that he learned first-hand about being a business manager, producer, director, stage manager, prop manager, stage hand, and costume designer, as well as an actor. All this experience would be used when he decided to go to New York City. He organized a theater stock company, known as Corse Payton's Comedy Company in 1890. The same year, he met actress Etta Reed, and the couple married at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, New York on July 18, 1899. Her talent and beauty became a major part of his success. After years of trouping through the Middle West traveling in railroad boxcars filled with sets, costumes and props, he purchased in 1900 a theater in Brooklyn, New York for $5,000, naming it Payton's Lee Avenue Theater. There he originated the "10-20-30 cent" scale of prices and gave two shows a day with a different show every day. In fifteen years, the repertoire numbered more than 300 plays. In most cases they were new productions, fresh from Broadway. Mary Pickford, Ed Wynn, the Gish sisters and many other silent film actors served their apprenticeships in his company. During these years, his name was familiar to everyone in show business on Broadway, and as a successful business man making $100,000 a year, he hobnobbed with New York society. He was known to be a wheeler-dealer and a boastful big-spender. When Empress Elisabeth of Austria's jewels came on the market in 1902, he purchased a few pieces that went on display at the theater, which people paid to see. He and his wife became active in various Brooklyn charities and were known for the huge Christmas parties at the theater for disadvantaged children. He became known as "America's Best Bad Actor". His wife Etta had a debilitating stroke in 1907 becoming unable to perform at the peak of her career. The Lee Avenue Theater business started to decline in 1912, and had to be abandoned in 1915. He filed for bankruptcy in 1921, but continued his theatrical career but not on the same successful level. His wife, Etta died in 1915 and he remarried a much younger actress Henrietta Brown. His first wife made a point of not leaving anything, including her real estate and jewelry, to him in her will. He later built Keeney's, which was later the Shubert's, Theater in Newark, New Jersey and eventually returned to stock at the Carlton Theater in Jamaica, New York. In 1933 he leased the theater as a motion picture house. Among the survivors listed in his obituary, his and Etta's estranged son, Gustavus Reed Payton, was not listed.