Paul Ashley Chase (February 5, 1878 – April 17, 1946) was one of the founding executives, first auditor, Assistant Secretary of the corporation, and comptroller for

Warner Brothers Pictures Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

. He was previously the traveling auditor for the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...

. In 1912

Harry Warner Harry Morris Warner (born Hirsz Mojżesz Wonsal; December 12, 1881 – July 25, 1958) was an American studio executive, one of the founders of Warner Bros., and a major contributor to the development of the film industry. Along with his three ...

and Paul Chase were staying at the same boarding house in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

told Chase he was starting a new motion picture company and offered him the auditorship of the concern, which Chase immediately accepted.

Biography

He was born in

Churubusco, Indiana Churubusco ( or ); often shortened to Busco (), is a town located near the headwaters of the Eel River in the extreme northeast corner of Whitley County, Indiana, United States, in Smith Township, about northwest of Fort Wayne. The population ...

on February 5, 1878. He spent his youth and young manhood in Leroy, Illinois where his father, George Boyd Chase, owned and operated a jewelry store. His first job was as a telegrapher for a railroad company. However, he had a natural aptitude for numbers and eventually became the traveling auditor for the

. He settled in New York City where he eventually met Harry Warner. He joined the Warner organization in 1912 and came to Hollywood in 1923; he served as controller for more than 25 years. After

officially incorporated in 1923 under the name Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., he accepted the position of comptroller and established the comptroller's office at the Sunset studios and the accounting department at the Sunset Bowling Center. At the time of Paul Chase's death, he was the most tenured employee and one of the founding executives of

. His death was due to heart complications. He died April 17, 1946 at his home in

North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

. He was survived by his second wife, Hellen, and his daughter Esta Miller from his first wife Alice, who died in 1927. He was also survived by grandchildren Diana Miller and Kristina Miller. He had several great grandchildren born after his death, including Karen Forster, Craig Forster, Michael McGee and Robert Bourell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Paul Ashley 1878 births 1946 deaths American entertainment industry businesspeople People from Whitley County, Indiana People from North Hollywood, Los Angeles