P T Barnum
 Phineas Taylor Barnum July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891 |
PT Barnum was much more of a personal interest at that time when I was a child and my thoughts traversed the gamut of fantasy and entertainment was a primary concern in my existence.
Phineas Taylor Barnum was a businessman, showman and entrepreneur specializing in entertainment promotion turned politician, author, publisher, and philanthropist.
His main claim to fame was founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus and becoming the legislative sponsor of 1879 Connecticut anti-contraception law.
He is also remembered for a number of hoxes which he promoted and it is said that he coined the phrase "There's a sucker born every minute" even in light of a lack of proof in historical documentation.
His circus business was started when he was 60 years old and ended up being the source of that fame he has enjoyed throughout the years.
He established "P T Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome" in 1870. This was a traveling circus, menagerie, and museum of "freaks" which did business under many other names over the years.
He was married twice and fathered four children. His second marriage was to a woman 40 years younger than he and ended in 1891 upon his death at home from a stroke.
He is interred in the Mountain Grove Cemetery of Bridgeport Connecticut which is a facility of his own design.