James Anthony Bailey: Difference between revisions
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Bailey later associated with [[James E. Cooper]], and by the time he was 22, he was manager of the [[Cooper and Bailey]] circus. He then met with [[Phineas Taylor Barnum|P.T. Barnum]], and together they established [[Barnum and Bailey's Circus]] (for which Bailey was instrumental in obtaining [[Jumbo]] the Elephant) in 1880, with their combined show opening the following spring in Madison Square Garden.<ref name="AmExp2018">{{cite web |title=The Circus: Transcript, Part 1 |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/circus/ |website=American Experience |publisher=PBS |access-date=16 November 2018 |date=9 October 2018}}</ref> |
Bailey later associated with [[James E. Cooper]], and by the time he was 22, he was manager of the [[Cooper and Bailey]] circus. He then met with [[Phineas Taylor Barnum|P.T. Barnum]], and together they established [[Barnum and Bailey's Circus]] (for which Bailey was instrumental in obtaining [[Jumbo]] the Elephant) in 1880, with their combined show opening the following spring in Madison Square Garden.<ref name="AmExp2018">{{cite web |title=The Circus: Transcript, Part 1 |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/circus/ |website=American Experience |publisher=PBS |access-date=16 November 2018 |date=9 October 2018}}</ref> |
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Bailey married Ruth McCaddon of [[Zanesville, Ohio]].{{citation needed|date=October 2018}} |
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Bailey died of [[erysipelas]] in 1906 at age 58.<ref>{{cite news |title=James A. Bailey, King Of Circus Men, is Dead. News Kept From Performers Till The Show Was Over. Widow Gets Circus Stock. Showman Died Of Erysipelas At His Country Home Near Mount Vernon After A Week's Illness. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/04/12/101773989.pdf |quote=While the band blared and the clowns made fun and the elephants walked around at the circus last night for the thousands in [[Madison Square Garden]], there were few among the spectators who knew that James A. Bailey, the backbone of the "greatest show on earth", lay dead in his home, The Knolls, near [[Mount Vernon, New York|Mount Vernon]]. |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=April 12, 1906 |access-date=2007-07-21 }}</ref> |
Bailey died of [[erysipelas]] in 1906 at age 58.<ref>{{cite news |title=James A. Bailey, King Of Circus Men, is Dead. News Kept From Performers Till The Show Was Over. Widow Gets Circus Stock. Showman Died Of Erysipelas At His Country Home Near Mount Vernon After A Week's Illness. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/04/12/101773989.pdf |quote=While the band blared and the clowns made fun and the elephants walked around at the circus last night for the thousands in [[Madison Square Garden]], there were few among the spectators who knew that James A. Bailey, the backbone of the "greatest show on earth", lay dead in his home, The Knolls, near [[Mount Vernon, New York|Mount Vernon]]. |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=April 12, 1906 |access-date=2007-07-21 }}</ref> |
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Revision as of 00:27, 13 September 2021
James Anthony Bailey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | James Anthony McGinnis July 4, 1847 |
| Died | April 11, 1906 (aged 58) |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York |
| Other names | James A. Bailey (professional title) |
| Known for | Co-founder of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus[1] Managing Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show |
| Spouse |
Ruth Louisa McCaddon
(m. 1868) |
James Anthony Bailey (July 4, 1847 – April 11, 1906), born James Anthony McGinnis, was an American circus ringmaster and impresario.[2]
Early Life
James Anthony McGinnis was born July 4th, 1847[3] to Edward and Hannora McGinnis in Detroit, Michigan. Edward McGinnis died in October, 1849 of cholera and in 1855, James was orphaned when his mother died. James then went to live with his older sister, Catherine Gordon.
Life with Catherine was difficult as she tended to be overbearing and harsh. Sometime between 1859 and 1860, James ran away from Catherine's home. After running away from home, James got a job on a farm 10 miles outside of Pontiac, Michigan. Finding life on the farm unrewarding, 13-year old James wandered into Pontiac where he found work at the Hodges House Hotel[3].
After working at the hotel for a time, he was discovered by Colonel Frederic Harrison Bailey, a nephew of circus pioneer Hachaliah Bailey, and an advance man for John Robinson and Bill Lake's traveling circus[3]. F.H. Bailey gave McGinnis a job as his assistant, and the two traveled together for many years. McGinnis eventually adopted F.H. Bailey's surname to become James A. Bailey.[4]
Circus Life
In 1866 James Bailey was working as an agent for Bill Lake, who now owned his own circus with his wife Agnes Thatcher Lake. During this time, James met Ruth Louisa McCaddon of Zanesville, Ohio. James and Ruth became friends, fell in love, and were married in December of 1868. The very next year in Granby, Missouri, Bill Lake was shot and killed. With her husband dead, Agnes Lake became the first woman in the United States to own a circus[3].
Bailey later associated with James E. Cooper, and by the time he was 22, he was manager of the Cooper and Bailey circus. He then met with P.T. Barnum, and together they established Barnum and Bailey's Circus (for which Bailey was instrumental in obtaining Jumbo the Elephant) in 1880, with their combined show opening the following spring in Madison Square Garden.[4]
Bailey died of erysipelas in 1906 at age 58.[5] He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, in The Bronx, New York City.[6] His widow subsequently sold the circus to the Ringling brothers in 1907, who eventually merged the rival operations in 1919.[7]
References
- ^ Allen, Robert (December 29, 2017). "A strangled elephant, circus mishaps and Detroit's ties to 'The Greatest Show on Earth'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
- ^ "A Cesar Among Showmen. James A. Bailey, The Partner And Successor Of Barnum. He Is The Creator Of The Modern Circus. His Tremendous Energy And Working Ability. How He Became What He Is" (PDF). New York Times. April 19, 1891. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
One of the most modest little men that ever lived has been forced to the front by the death of P.T. Barnum. James Anthony Bailey for ten years has been Mr. Barnum's partner. He can, without exaggeration, be called the creator of the modern circus. He has lifted the circus to a standard that renders almost ridiculous the laws that once were so necessary for its regulation.
- ^ a b c d Adams, Gloria (July 9, 2021). James A. Bailey - The Genius Behind the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1 ed.). Stow, OH: Slanted Ink. ISBN 978-1736768815.
- ^ a b "The Circus: Transcript, Part 1". American Experience. PBS. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ "James A. Bailey, King Of Circus Men, is Dead. News Kept From Performers Till The Show Was Over. Widow Gets Circus Stock. Showman Died Of Erysipelas At His Country Home Near Mount Vernon After A Week's Illness" (PDF). New York Times. April 12, 1906. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
While the band blared and the clowns made fun and the elephants walked around at the circus last night for the thousands in Madison Square Garden, there were few among the spectators who knew that James A. Bailey, the backbone of the "greatest show on earth", lay dead in his home, The Knolls, near Mount Vernon.
- ^ https://www.thewoodlawncemetery.org/rv/the-circus-is-in-town/
- ^ "The Circus: Transcript, Part 2". American Experience. PBS. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
External links
- American Experience: The Circus: The Life and Times of James Bailey, Part 1
- American Experience: The Circus: The Life and Times of James Bailey, Part 2
- American Experience: The Circus: The Life and Times of James Bailey, Part 3
- James Anthony Bailey at Find a Grave
- The Affairs of James A. Bailey by Richard E Conover
