George Thomas was an African-American who found success in Tsarist Russia under the reign of Nicholas II.

Thomas moved to St. Petersburg in 1890 to become a valet. The tsars had long hired black servants, and Afro-Russians could become extremely successful (see, for example Abram Petrovich Gannibal

Abram Petrovich Gannibal

Major-General Abram Petrovich Gannibal, also Hannibal or Ganibal or Ibrahim Hannibal or Abram Petrov , was brought to Russia as a gift for Peter the Great and became major-general, military engineer, governor of Reval and nobleman of the Russian Empire...

 or Ira Aldridge

Ira Aldridge

Ira Frederick Aldridge , was an American stage actor who made his career largely on the London stage and in Europe, especially in Shakespearean roles...

). Thomas became an extremely rich and successful nightclub owner, theatrical producer, and more; he owned and ran the Aquarium, which boasted a theater, an amphitheater, back rooms, and so on. As examples of his place in society, Thomas hosted men like Jimmy Winkfield, had connections with the Tsar, and once introduced Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson (boxer)

John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...

 to Rasputin. (Rasputin drank Johnson under the table.) Thomas adopted the Russian name of Fyodor.

Thomas fled to Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 during the Russian Revolution but was never as rich and famous as he once had been.