James A. Bailey (1847-1906) was the lesser-known but equally important partner in the Barnum & Bailey Circus, a full-scale spectacle that delighted young and old. It was known as “the greatest show on earth.” Though Barnum died in 1891, and James Bailey died in 1906, the circus continued beyond their lifetimes, eventually being acquired by Ringling Brothers.
The length of the partnership was brief, but both men brought a lifetime of experience in entertainment to the circus business. Barnum & Bailey significantly influenced the world of entertainment then and for many years to come.
P.T. Barnum devoted himself to finding people that entertained. He sometimes exaggerated the stories behind these people, but it was all intended to increase the fun. James Bailey operated with a different motto: “Give the people the best—spare no expense in doing it—and they’ll reward you.”
James Bailey’s Early Life
Born James Anthony McGinnis in Detroit, Michigan, Bailey was one of seven children. They were orphaned during childhood. (His father died when James was two; his mother when he was eight.) James was sent to live with his married, eldest sister, Catharine.
New details of Bailey’s childhood came to light in the 1980s when an unpublished biography, written by his brother-in-law, was found in a descendant’s basement. Circus historian A.H. Saxon gained access to the material and reports that Bailey was beaten frequently while living with his sister and brother-in-law. Bailey eventually left home to look for work. He became a bellhop at a hotel in Pontiac, Michigan.
One summer a one-ring circus, Robinson & Lake, came to Pontiac. James met the general manager, Fred Harrison Bailey (a nephew of the Somers menagerie owner Hachaliah Bailey), who hired the boy to post circus bills around town. James began to work regularly for Fred Bailey and soon took the older man’s surname.
Bailey’s early circus career was interrupted by the Civil War where he served as sutler (a provision manager) for the 114th Ohio Infantry. By age 21, he was back in the circus business returning to Robinson & Lake. The elder John Robinson died shortly after Bailey returned. With William Robinson’s blessing, Fred Bailey gave James Bailey the role of managing the Lake & Robinson circus.
Business Growth
In 1868, James Bailey married Ruth Louisa McCaddon of Zanesville, Ohio. A short time later, he bought an interest in another circus that came to be known as Cooper & Bailey. By the late 1870s, Bailey merged with or purchased several other shows and had become quite afore in the entertainment world.
Taking on Barnum
James Bailey knew that his most fearsome competition was a circus based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, run by P.T. Barnum. In 1880, Bailey decided to challenge Barnum’s dominance. He took his circus to P.T. Barnum’s backyard: Bridgeport, Connecticut.
To Barnum’s consternation, Bailey’s circus outsold Barnum’s, taking in $2 to every $1 of Barnum’s show. Rather than continue to compete head-to-head, Barnum proposed a merger. Bailey took over management of business affairs, while Barnum focused on showmanship. Together they created “the greatest show on earth.”
Barnum & Bailey
Though Barnum is generally given credit for bringing Jumbo, an English elephant to the U.S., it was actually Bailey who thought of it and worked it out. The story is a perfect example of how the two men coordinated their talents and built the business. See “How Jumbo Joined the Circus.”
Circus Finances
Though James Bailey died with an estate of about a million and a half dollars ($22.6 million in today’s money), the financial records for the circus reveal that running the shows was a constant struggle. (This report on the financial circumstances of the circus comes from historian Richard Conover who sifted through the McCaddon Collection of Bailey materials at Princeton University in the 1950s.)
In the contemporary press (including the obituaries for Bailey) where the circus press agent could work a little magic, Bailey was known for his retiring nature, his admirable personal conduct, and his unflagging generosity to his employees. Some of the articles highlighted what was described as a true employee benefit, an opportunity for staff members to invest in the circus. However, research conducted by historians Conover and Saxon show the stock investment plan in a different light. Bailey needed a continuing infusion of money.
More on Money and Personality
In “New Light on the Life of James A. Bailey,” by A.H. Saxon (Bandwagon, November-December 1996), Saxon reviews a previously unknown “biography” of Bailey, written by his brother-in-law, Joseph T. McCaddon. While McCaddon’s description of Bailey is very positive, Saxon’s knowledge of the “back story” of some of the events show that Bailey sometimes made hard choices at the expense of his employees. After the circus traveled South America, Bailey announced that it would be too expensive to pay for everyone to travel home. He left most of the performers on their own to find ways to return to the U.S.
Continued Without Barnum
P.T. Barnum died in 1891, but James Bailey kept the business going. The circus continued to travel throughout the United States on 85 railroad cars, employing more than 1,000 people, and maintaining a large traveling menagerie.
Bailey also worked with the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The idea man behind that show was Nate Salsbury, who also created and ran Black America that was staged in Brooklyn’s Ambrose Park in 1895. Perhaps because Salsbury was focused on the new show, the Wild West show needed help. Bailey was asked to step in to invest and help run the show. Bailey’s forte was logistics, and he improved on the Wild West schedule. He also arranged for them to tour Europe for a time. This was another way to bring in more money.
Bailey also invested some of his own money in the Cody-Salsbury operation. When Bailey died and it became clear that Bill Cody owed money to the estate, Cody scraped together funds from other sources. He bought back Bailey’s interest in the show.
Bailey’s Final Illness
In 1906, Bailey was living at the estate he built in Mount Vernon. He loved being there and treasured the fact that he could sleep at home while still supervising the latest installation of the circus in Madison Square Garden.
In early April, Bailey became ill. The press reports state that Bailey developed erysipelas, an acute streptococcus bacterial skin infection. This condition is rarely fatal but there were no antibiotics at that time. Nine days later when Bailey attempted to go back to work, he suffered a “sinking spell.” According to an unsourced obituary, Bailey spent his final afternoon expressing to his wife (his sole heir), his brother-in-law, who was part of the circus management team, and the circus treasurer, how the circus should manage without him. He was very clear that though his health was failing, the circus needed to go on.
According to the article, his one regret was that he was not going to live until Orphans’ Day, April 17, an annual ritual he instituted because of his own background.
How They Remembered Him
News of his death reached Madison Square Garden just before show time. Despite the profound grief of the circus staff and performers, the performance continued.
Orphans’ Day, too, was held a little over a week later. The New York Times reported that even the “ticket speculators” tipped their hat to Bailey for his reputation of good will and generosity. That year, the speculators bought all the available peanuts from the street vendors. They had them bagged and distributed free to the orphans as the children arrived to see the show.
The funeral for James Bailey was held mid-April, and he was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery. John and Alfred Ringling made a point of attending the services to meet Bailey’s widow and heir.
By July 1907, the Ringling Brothers worked out a contract to purchase Ruth Bailey’s interest in the circus. Though Ringling Brothers took over the company in 1907, they did not combine the shows until 1919. Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey dates to that time.