John Nicholas Ringling
| John Ringling | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Johan Nicholas Rüngeling May 31, 1866 McGregor, Iowa |
| Died | December 2, 1936 (aged 70) |
| Known for |
Ringling Brothers Circus Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus |
| Spouse(s) |
Mable Burton (m. 1905; her death 1929) Emily Haag Buck (m. 1930; divorce 1936) |
| Parent(s) | August Ringling Marie Salomé Juliar |
| Relatives |
Albert Ringling, brother Augustus Gustav Ringling, brother Otto Ringling, brother Alfred Theodore Ringling, brother Charles Edward Ringling, brother Henry Ringling, brother Ida Loraina Wilhelmina Ringling North, sister Robert Ringling, nephew John Ringling North, nephew Henry Ringling North, nephew |
John Nicholas Ringling (May 31, 1866 – December 2, 1936) is the most well-known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Bros World's Greatest Shows to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the circus into what it is today. In addition to owning and managing many of the largest circuses in the United States, he was also a rancher, a real estate developer and art collector. He was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1987.
John was born in McGregor, Iowa, the fifth son in a family of seven sons and a daughter born to German immigrants, Marie Salomé Juliar and August Ringling (a farmer and harness maker). The original family name was "Ruengling". Five of those sons worked together to build a circus empire.
The Ringlings started their first show in 1870 as the "The Ringling Bros. 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 Bros. Classic and Comic Concert Company".
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. In 1907, the brothers bought the Barnum & Bailey circus for $400,000 from the estate of James Anthony Bailey and ran the two circuses as separate entities until the end of the 1918 season. 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 Bros. World's Greatest Shows was renowned for its honesty and fair-dealing.
After purchasing the Barnum & Bailey Circus from the estate of James Bailey in 1907 the Ringling brothers were recognized as the "Circus Kings" in the United States as they controlled not only the show that carried their own name, but also the Barnum & Bailey circus and the Adam Forepaugh and Sells Brothers Circus.
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