Benjamin E. Wallace (October 4, 1847 – April 7, 1921) was an American circus owner and Civil War veteran who founded the

Hagenbeck–Wallace Circus The Hagenbeck–Wallace Circus was a circus that traveled across America in the early part of the 20th century. At its peak, it was the second-largest circus in America next to Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. It was based in Per ...

, the second-largest circus in America.

Early life

Wallace was born on October 4, 1847, near

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropol ...

, to Ephraim and Rebecca Wallace. His family were of Scottish lineage and his grandfather fought at the

Battle of Tippecanoe The Battle of Tippecanoe ( ) was fought on November 7, 1811, in Battle Ground, Indiana, between American forces led by then Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American forces associated with Shawnee leader Tecums ...

under General Harrison. Wallace's father Ephraim brought his family of five daughters and five sons, first to

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, then to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, by wagon in 1863. His father died of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

in 1864 and three of his brothers and a sister died soon thereafter. His sister, Alice, later married Pim Sweeney, director of

Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo, also known as Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, is a zoo in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. The zoo was founded in 1868, making it the fourth oldest zoo in North America. It is also one of a few free admission zoos in the Unit ...

in Chicago. Wallace enlisted in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

in the

13th Indiana Infantry Regiment The 13th Indiana Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 13th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment was originally accepted for state service for one year and was organized at India ...

in February 1865. The war was over before he got into any fighting in Virginia, though he made $250.00 from trading with other soldiers before being discharged.

Career

Wallace attended circus show sales including a sale of equipment of the W.C. Coup show in 1882 which had gone bankrupt. Wallace purchased the Nathan and Company travelling menagerie in 1883. On January 25, 1884, a fire burned the furniture warehouse where the animals were kept and killed all of them. On April 26, 1884, Wallace opened his own circus show called Wallace and Co.'s Great World Menagerie, Grand International Mardi Gras, Highway Holiday Hidalgo and Alliance of Novelties. The show left Peru by horse and wagon and would tour in Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia. The name of the shows would later change to The Great Wallace Shows. The shows featured acts such as Willie Cash and his performing dogs, A.G. Fields the singing clown and the Walton Brothers who were acrobats. In 1890, Wallace bought out his partner James Anderson and became the sole owner and manager of the show. In 1892, Wallace bought of land along the bank of the

Mississinewa River The Mississinewa River is a tributary of the Wabash River in eastern Indiana and a small portion of western Ohio in the United States. It is long and is the third largest tributary behind the White and Little Wabash Rivers, only slightly larger t ...

from Gabriel Godfroy, the son of

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

war chief

Francis Godfroy Francis Godfroy (Palaanswa, 1788–1840) was a chief of the Miami people. He negotiated treaties with between his tribe and the United States.foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

. Wallace acquired and merged the La Pearl circus in 1899. In 1907, Wallace purchased the

Carl Hagenbeck Carl Hagenbeck (10 June 1844 – 14 April 1913) was a Germans, German merchant of wild animals who supplied many European zoos, as well as P. T. Barnum. He created the modern zoo with animal enclosures without bars that were closer to their natu ...

Circus and incorporated it into his own show forming the

. Wallace bought out all of his investors in the Hagenbeck–Wallace Circus except for John C. Talbot of

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. A contemporary Peru newspaper article reported that since Wallace owns most of the stock, his holdings were now "greater than those of any other showman in the country and probably the world." Wallace merged part of the Norris & Rowe circus in 1910. In 1913, Wallace sold the circus to the

American Circus Corporation The American Circus Corporation consisted of the Sells-Floto Circus, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, the John Robinson Circus, the Sparks Circus, and the Al G. Barnes Circus. It was owned by Jerry Mugivan, Bert Bowers and Ed Ballard. They s ...

. He kept the winter quarters and rented it to circuses until 1921 when he sold it to the American Circus Corporation.

Personal life and death

His first marriage was to Dora M. Blue until her death in 1870. His second marriage was to Florence E. Fuller, daughter of Reuben Fuller, a hotel proprietor in Peru. In 1921, Wallace entered the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

in Rochester for routine hernia surgery. Although the operation was a success he died unexpectedly on April 7, 1921. He was buried in his family's

plot Plot or Plotting may refer to: Art, media and entertainment * Plot (narrative), the story of a piece of fiction Music * ''The Plot'' (album), a 1976 album by jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava * The Plot (band), a band formed in 2003 Other * ''Plot' ...

in Mount Hope Cemetery, Peru.

Legacy

Historian Kreig A. Adkins described Wallace as the "Circus King" and says he opened the door for Jeremiah Mugivan, Bert Bowers, and Edward M. Ballard, owners of the

, to turn the circus business into an industry. Wallace was accused of horse thievery by a former employee. The employee said that Wallace would tell someone called Peedad to hide around or lay in a wagon until a farmer climbed on the wagon and took the horses home. Once the farmer was in bed, they would bring the horses back to the circus and the circus would leave town. The

Ringling brothers The Ringling brothers (originally Rüngling) were seven American siblings who transformed their small touring company of performers into one of the largest circuses in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Four brothers ...

purchased the winter quarters in 1929. They owned the quarters until 1938 when the circus was moved to a warmer location. The property was sold in 1941 and to minimize maintenance they burned the old circus wagons. The winter quarters are now the site of the

Circus Hall of Fame The International Circus Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame which honors important figures in circus history. It is located in Peru, Indiana on the former grounds of the Wallace Circus and American Circus Corporation Winter Quarters, als ...

References

Sources