George Fuller Golden

George Fuller Golden (1868 – February 17, 1912) was an American vaudeville entertainer, prizefighter, and labor organizer who gained popularity at the turn of the twentieth century. He was widely recognized for his monologues centered on a fictional character named Casey.

Golden's Broadway career spanned 1900 to 1901. He appeared in the burlesque Nell-Go-In, which ran from October 31 to November 17, 1900, and in the musical The Supper Club, which ran from December 23, 1901 to January 25, 1902, in which he played the roles of Boss Thomas and Master of Ceremonies.

Golden's founding of the White Rats, a labor union for vaudeville performers, stands as one of his most significant contributions to the entertainment industry. The organization had its origins in a personal crisis: while Golden was performing in London in 1899, his wife fell ill and he found himself unable to work. The British entertainment charity known as the Water Rats assisted him financially and helped arrange his return to the United States. Drawing on that experience, Golden established the White Rats in 1900 in direct response to the formation of the Vaudeville Managers Association, which had begun requiring performers to pay a five percent kickback in exchange for steady bookings. The White Rats sought to negotiate the removal of this commission with VMA leaders E.F. Albee and B.F. Keith. When those negotiations broke down, the union called a strike in February 1901, during which vaudeville performers across the United States refused to work, with many citing illness as their reason for not appearing. The Western States branch of the VMA conceded to the union's demands, and the Eastern branch went without vaudeville programming for two weeks, with some theaters closing entirely and others booking replacement acts. Albee and Keith ultimately met with the White Rats, claimed personal opposition to the five percent commission, and agreed to publicly advocate for its removal in exchange for an end to the strike. The strike was called off, and performers resumed signing contracts with the VMA. The White Rats received a charter from the American Federation of Labor in 1910, though the union subsequently struggled with financial mismanagement and declining membership, as many performers were unwilling to pay union dues on top of fees owed to vaudeville managers. In 1909, the Broadway Publishing Company published Golden's account of the organization, titled My Lady Vaudeville and her White Rats.

Golden had three daughters, each of whom pursued careers in film. Olive Fuller Golden was born in New York on January 31, 1896, and became a film actress; she married performer Harry Carey in 1916 and continued working in film and television under the name Olive Carey until her death on March 13, 1988, in California. Ruth Fuller Golden, born in New York on May 19, 1901, worked as a film actress in 1919 and 1920 and died on August 15, 1931, in California. Mignonne Golden, born in London on February 27, 1904, worked as a film actress during the 1920s and died in New York on September 22, 1997.

Golden died of tuberculosis on February 17, 1912.