John Ringling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Ringling (May 31, 1866 - December 2, 1936) was the most well-known and the most successful of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Brothers Circus to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the circus into what it is today.
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[edit] Early circus life
John was born in McGregor, Iowa, the fifth of seven sons and a daughter of German immigrants, farmer August and Marie Salomé (Juliar) Ringling (the original family name was “Ruengling”). Five of those sons teamed together to build their circus empire.
The Ringlings started their own show in 1870, the “The Ringling Brothers United Monster Shows, Great Double Circus, Royal European Menagerie, Museum, Caravan, and Congress of Trained Animals”, charging a penny for admission. In 1882, it was known as “The Ringling Brothers Classic and Comic Concert Company”. In 1884, they formed the “Yankee Robinson and Ringling Brothers Circus” (the only time they accepted second billing).
By 1889 the circus was large enough to travel on railroad cars, rather than animal-drawn wagons. Admission rose to 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children.
In 1905, John married Mable Burton, whom he met in New Jersey. In 1907, the brothers bought the Barnum & Bailey circus for $400,000 and ran the two circuses as separate entities for a few years. John worked the circus with his brothers, declaring "We divided the work; but stood together." John took the advance position, traveling ahead and booking the appearances and Charles was the operating manager. The Ringling Brothers Circus was renowned for its honesty and fair-dealing.
[edit] Building the circus empire
His brother Otto died unexpectedly in 1911 and Al died in 1916. It was soon apparent that running two circuses was more than the remaining brothers could handle. So on March 29, 1919, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus debuted at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The posters declared, "The Ringling Brothers World's Greatest Shows and the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth are now combined into one record-breaking giant of all exhibitions."
Alf T. died in 1919 and seven years later, Charles died in 1926, leaving John by himself to manage the empire.
In 1927 Ringling moved the winter headquarters to Sarasota, Florida, where he and his wife, Mable, had been spending winters since 1909 and where they had built a 30-room English country house with the look of an Italian renaissance mansion and a similar museum building for his art collection. He and his brother, Charles, were instrumental in the modern development of Sarasota. John soon became one of the richest men in the world. His circus travels took him all over Europe, and he established a collection of fine Baroque art. He also acquired a large collection of work by Peter Paul Rubens.
In 1929, Ringling shocked the entertainment world by buying the American Circus Corporation (consisting of the Sells-Floto Circus, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, the John Robinson Circus, the Sparks Circus, the Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and the Al. G. Barnes Circus) from its stockholders, Jeremiah Jerry Mugivan, Bert Bowers and Ed Ballard, for $2 million. With that acquisition, Ringling owned virtually every traveling circus in America.
[edit] Decline in later life
Ringling’s health soon began to fail and the Great Depression (which gripped the nation almost as soon as he acquired the American Circus Corporation) dealt a severe financial blow to the John Ringling empire. He lost virtually his entire fortune, but was able to retain his home, the museum, and his extensive art collection. His wife, Mable, had died in June, 1929 and although he remarried a year later, his second marriage was not a happy one. Ringling was voted out of control of the business in 1932 and Sam Gumpertz was placed in charge of the corporation by the board of directors.
Ringling Montana was named for John Ringling of circus fame, who at one time was president of the White Sulpher Springs and Yellowstone Railway, Montana history buffs tell that the Ringling Brothers wintered Near White Sulpher Springs and supposedly there is a grave of a very large elephant just outside of what is now Ringling, MT - some say it was the original Jumbo. Railroads no longer pass through this town.
John Ringling died on December 2, 1936. At his death, he willed his house, the museum, and his entire art collection to the state of Florida. The house, Cá dˈZan, and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art offer visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of the Roaring 20s and a renowned art collection. Another of John’s legacies is the Ringling School of Art and Design, which asked to adopt his name because of the cultural influence of the museum and its collection. A museum devoted to the Ringling Brothers Circus has been established on the estate also.
After his death, the circus was operated by his nephew, John Ringling North, who sold the circus to the Feld family in 1967.
[edit] The Ringling Circus Brothers
- Albert Ringling (1852-1916)
- August (Otto) Ringling (1854-1907)
- Alfred T. Ringling (1862-1919)
- Charles Ringling (1864-1926)
- John Ringling (1866-1936)
- Henry Ringling (1869-1918)
- A. G. ("Gus") Ringling
