A native of London, William Evans Burton first traveled to the U.S. in 1834 to perform as an actor at the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia. In 1848 he established himself in New York as a manager, and at a theater in Chambers Street gained distinction for his dramatic productions. In 1856 he opened the Metropolitan Theatre, which eventually became the Winter Garden. Burton was the author of several plays and in 1837 established the "Gentleman's Magazine" in New York.