Barnum, P. T. (1810-1891), was the most famous showman of his time. He presented such popular attractions as General Tom Thumb, a performer with dwarfism; Jenny Lind, a famous Swedish singer; and Jumbo, a giant elephant. Barnum also helped found the most famous circus in history, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. To promote his attractions, Barnum relied on colorful advertising and publicity stunts. He often used exaggeration and deception to create interest in his shows and exhibits.
Phineas Taylor Barnum was born on July 5, 1810, in Bethel, Connecticut. He began his career as a showman in 1835 when he exhibited Joice Heth, an elderly enslaved African American woman who claimed to have been George Washington’s nurse. In late 1841, Barnum became proprietor of the American Museum in New York City. The museum offered exhibits, lectures, and plays, and became one of New York City’s most famous attractions. The museum burned down in 1865, and Barnum reopened it the same year. It burned down again in 1868 and was never rebuilt.
In 1842, Barnum became the manager of Charles Sherwood Stratton, a performer with dwarfism whom Barnum renamed General Tom Thumb. From 1844 to 1847, Barnum toured Europe with Stratton, who created a sensation and made a fortune for Barnum. In 1850 and 1851, Jenny Lind made a triumphant concert tour of the United States under Barnum’s management. Barnum imported the African elephant Jumbo for his circus from the London Zoo in 1882.
Barnum opened his circus in 1871, and later called it The Greatest Show on Earth. One of Barnum’s partners, William Cameron Coup, pioneered in the use of railroad cars to move the circus from town to town. This practice revolutionized the circus business from its old horse-drawn wagon days. A later partner of Barnum’s, James A. Bailey, built the circus into the show that the Ringling brothers bought in 1907, after the deaths of both Barnum and Bailey. 
In addition to his activities as a showman, Barnum became active in politics. He was elected to the Connecticut legislature in 1865 and 1866, and served one term as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1875 and 1876. He was also a famous temperance lecturer and wrote The Life of P. T. Barnum (1855), one of the most popular autobiographies in American history. He died on April 7, 1891.
See also Circus; Lind, Jenny; Ringling brothers; Stratton, Charles S.
