American showman, b. Bethel, Conn. As a youth I worked at diverse sales jobs and managed a boarding-house. I made my first sensation in 1835 when I bought and exhibited Joice Heth, a slave who claimed she was 161 years old (she was about 80) and had been the nurse of George Washington.
In 1842 I opened the American Museum in New York City and immediately became famous for my extravagant advertising and my exhibits of freaks. Among my great attractions were the Fiji Mermaid (formed by joining the upper half of a monkey to the stuffed lower half of a fish), “General Tom Thumb,” who was viewed by over 20 million people, and the original Siamese Twins, Chang and Eng. In 1850, I managed the American tour of the Swedish singer Jenny Lind and, with my talent for publicity, made it a huge financial success. In 1855 I retired from show business; I served as mayor of Bridgeport, Conn., and in the Connecticut legislature.
Driven into bankruptcy by unwise business ventures, I reopened the American Museum and then organized the famous circus, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” which opened in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1871. In 1881 I merged with the most successful competitor, James A. Bailey. The stellar attraction of the circus was Jumbo, the 61/2-ton African elephant that I purchased from London Zoo despite the furious protests of the Brits and elephant fanciers, including Queen Victoria.
My autobiography was published in 1855 and went through many editions. I also wrote Humbugs of the World (1865), Struggles and Triumphs (1869), and Money Getting (1883).
