Adam Forepaugh

Adam Forepaugh (February 28, 1831-January 20, 1890) was an entrepreneur, businessman, and circus owner. He owned and operated a circus from 1865 through 1890 under various names including Forepaugh's Circus, The Great Forepaugh Show, The Adam Forepaugh Circus, and Forepaugh & The Wild West.

Life history

Forepaugh was born into poverty in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was working in a butcher shop at age 9. Very soon, however, he showed his entrepreneurial talents. He moved to New York City and began a business dealing in horses and other livestock. He made a fortune during the Civil War selling horses to the U.S. government.

In 1864, Forepaugh sold 44 horses to John V. "Pogey" O'Brien for $9,000 so he could start the Tom King Excelsior Circus. When O'Brien could not repay the loan, Forepaugh assumed partial ownership of the circus, getting him into the circus business, where he would make his most lasting impression.

The next year, he and O'Brien purchased the Jerry Mabie Menagerie and created two circuses with their combined assets: The Great National Circus and the Dan Rice Circus. Forepaugh soon sold the Great National Circus and put the Dan Rice Circus under his own name.

Forepaugh was different from most of his fellow circus operators. Already independently wealthy when he entered the circus business, he was much less a showman and much more a businessman -- a stark contrast to P. T. Barnum and the Ringling Brothers. He was intimately involved in all aspects of the circus business. He would regularly seat himself at the main entrance into the circus, making sure his face was seen by all.

Through the 1870's and into the 1880's, Forepaugh and P. T. Barnum had the two largest circuses in the nation. Forepaugh actually had more animals than Barnum and generally paid higher salaries to the much-favored European talent. The two men constantly fought each other over rights to perform in the most-favored venues.

They signed truces in 1882, 1884, and 1887, dividing the country into exclusive territories to avoid disputes. But at least twice, they decided to pool their resources and perform together.

In 1880, Forepaugh and Barnum combined their shows for a Philadelphia engagement. In 1887, Forepaugh obtained permission to perform in Madison Square Garden, a venue that Barnum considered to be exclusively his. A compromise was negotiated, and once again the two circuses presented a combined performance.

In 1889, Forepaugh sold his circus acts to James A. Bailey and James E. Cooper and he sold his railroad cars to the Ringling Brothers. The Ringlings used the equipment to transform their circus from a small animal-powered production to a huge rail-powered behemoth, which later purchased the Barnum & Bailey circus. Thus, in liquidating his circus assets, he indirectly contributed to the demise of his arch-rival.

Forepaugh died January 20 1890 in Philadelphia and is buried in the family vault at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Many local charities and churches in the Philadelphia area benefited from his estate, including Temple University, Morris Animal Refuge, St. Agnes, St. Luke's and Children's Medical Center.

He had one child, Adam Forepaugh, Jr., an elephant trainer. He once commented that he would prevail over Barnum because "I have a boy and Mr. Barnum has none. My show will outlast his." Ultimately, although Adam, Jr. worked in his father's circus and executed his estate, he did not follow him in the circus business.

Unsavory business dealings

If Barnum was noted for his superb showmanship, Forepaugh was known for his hard-nosed and unscrupulous methods of doing business. Although he never drank, smoked, or chewed, he treated neither his customers nor his workers well. It was said that he was always looking for ways to cheat his customers, even hiring pickpockets to work the audience. His shows were full of con games such as Three Card Monte and shell games in an effort to extract every penny possible from the audience.

In fact, Forepaugh's shows were so corrupt that he made it easy for Barnum and the Ringling Brothers to operate their clean-cut "Sunday School Shows". Such behaviors also contributed to the oft-held belief that all such circus shows and the people associated with them were just as corrupt.

Innovations

Forepaugh was responsible for many innovations in circus history, which influenced circuses for many years.

*He was the first to incorporate a "Wild West Show" into his circus.
*In 1869, he was the first to use two separate "bigtop" tents at the same time, one for the circus performance and the other for the menagerie.
*In search of new talent, he sponsored a $10,000 beauty contest in 1881, looking for the "most beautiful woman in America". The winner was Louise Montague, a 21-year-old New York City actress blessed with a "charming blue eye" and "... magnificent teeth, which she shows to advantage in conversation" [Police Gazette, April 23 1881] . Many believe this was the first "beauty pageant" in America.

*He hired an African-American elephant trainer named Eph Thompson in a time when blacks rarely had positions of such stature.

The famous "sucker" quote

The quote "There's a sucker born every minute, but none of them ever die" is often attributed to P. T. Barnum. The source of the quote is most likely famous con-man Joseph ("Paper Collar" Joe) Bessimer. Forepaugh attributed the quote to Barnum in a newspaper interview in an attempt to discredit him. However, Barnum never denied making the quote. It is said that he thanked Forepaugh for the free publicity he had given him.

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