Disappearance of Ambrose Small

Ambrose Small
Born
Peter Ambrose Joseph Small

(1866-01-11)January 11, 1866
DisappearedDecember 2, 1919(1919-12-02) (aged 53)
Grand Opera House, Toronto, Ontario
StatusDeclared dead in absentia
NationalityCanadian
OccupationTheatre magnate
Spouse
Theresa Kormann
(m. 1902)
Parent(s)Daniel Small and Helen Brazell

Ambrose Joseph Small (January 11, 1866 – disappeared December 2, 1919) was a Canadian theatre magnate who owned several Ontario-based theatres including the Grand Opera House in Toronto, the Grand Opera House in Kingston, the Grand Theatre in London, and the Grand Theatre in Sudbury. The last known sighting of Small occurred the evening of December 2, 1919. He had been known to travel without notice, so his disappearance was not reported until early 1920. His body was never recovered.

Small's disappearance became a national news sensation. Various theories explaining Small's disappearance were publicly promoted, and the famed mystery writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was consulted, although he elected not to pursue the case.