Otto Ringling (born William Henry Ringling; 1858 – April 2, 1911) was an American

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

man, businessman, and the third oldest of 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 ...

. He was the co-founder of the Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows, which eventually became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was called the "Lieutenant General" of the Ringling family. Upon his death, the ''

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'' described him as "a man of great ideas and ambition, and an executive of force and character." He was nicknamed "The King" in the circus business.

Early life

William Henry Ringling was born in 1858 in Baraboo, Wisconsin. He was nicknamed "Otto". His parents were Marie Salome (Juliar), of Ostheim, France, and Heinrich Friedrich August Ringling (1826–1898), of Hanover, Germany. He was the third of the

to be born, following Albert and Augustus. He was born into a musical family, with each member of the family being able to play an instrument. Baraboo became an economically unstable town, and the family relocated to Iowa. Ringling, along with his brothers, made horse harnesses in

McGregor, Iowa McGregor is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 742 at the time of the 2020 census. McGregor is located on the Mississippi River across from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Pike's Peak State Park is located just so ...

. Eventually, the brothers started touring in Iowa, playing music.

Circus career and mid-life

Ringling Bros and Barnum Bailey Circus Kings

After concert tours, the brothers got involved in the circus. During the early days of the Ringling Bros. circus, Ringling took tickets and money, and served as publicist. He was called the "Lieutenant General" by his brothers, becoming the head of the family and the family business. He was responsible for bringing the talents of his brothers, and eventually blending the merged Barnum & Bailey shows, into solid performances. He was the primary decision maker regarding the company finances and business decisions. Ringling was described as

recluse A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society. The word is from the Latin ''recludere'', which means "shut up" or "sequester". Historically, the word referred to a Christian hermit's total isolation from th ...

, and remained single his entire life, never marrying. He cared for horses, loved books, and studied mathematics. His favorite books were history, classics, and contemporary literature of the day. When he traveled with the circus, he had his own private train car, equipped with his own library.

Later life and death

Starting in 1909, Ringling suffered from Bright's disease. In 1910, he sent

John Ringling John Nicholas Ringling (May 31, 1866 – December 2, 1936) was an American entrepreneur who is the best known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Bros World's Greatest Sho ...

his

will and testament A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's ( testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person ( executor) is to manage the property until its final distribut ...

. Ringling trusted John more than any of his brothers, as John showed the least interest in the monetary and business aspects of the family business. Ringling died suddenly, in 1911, at the home of John, located on

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, New York. He was buried in Walnut HIll Cemetery in Baraboo, Wisconsin. next to his parents.

Legacy

Upon his death, he left

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to his sister and numerous nieces and nephews. He also left money to staff members. Among his brothers, he left money and his

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. He also requested that his portrait be removed from future promotional materials. The brothers did not remove his image, instead, they stopped using the group portraits in any of their advertising.

References

External links

Letter from Otto Ringling, October 26, 1907
from Illinois State University, and hosted at the

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