Businessman. John was president and director of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1937 to 1943 and again from 1947 to 1967.
North was born on August 14, 1903 in Baraboo, Wisconsin, the son of Ida Loraina Wihelmina (Ringling) and Harry Whitestone North. His mother was the sister of the Ringling brothers. As a boy, he hawked balloons and novelties at his uncles' circus. He learned to dance and play the saxophone from circus performers and formed his own dance band while at college. He attended the University of Wisconsin and Yale University, but left the latter in his junior year. After working for two years in a New York stock brokerage, North worked for the Ringling brothers' real estate companies and for the circus during the summers. He returned to the brokerage business from 1929 to 1936, while continuing to assist the Ringling brothers with their business interests. After the death of his uncle and namesake, John Ringling, the last of the original Ringling brothers in 1936, North became president and director of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows Inc. His close friend Charles Elias Disney also was an advisor to North and occasionally Disney enjoyed traveling with the circus on one of the circus trains. Under North's management, the circus switched from tents to air conditioned venues in 1956, in part to offset rising labor costs. North also replaced the circus's unrelated acts with thematic programs, and once hired George Balanchine to choreograph a ballet using the circus's elephants. Balanchine, in turn, brought Igor Stravinsky on board to compose the Circus Polka for the elephant dance. The Ringling heirs sold the circus in 1967, ending 80 years of Ringling family control of the enterprise. North died of a stroke on June 4, 1985 in Brussels, Belgium at the age of 81.∼Both John and his brother Henry became heirs to the heavily indebted Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus after the death of their Uncle John Ringling (the last of the eight Ringling brothers)ending up having to fight to salvage what was left of the business during the Great Depression, so to be able to lead it through another thirty years from the highly controversial Big Tent era to the air conditioned arena's of today until, they sold it in 1967.
... ending a total of 80 years of family control.
In the early 60's both brother's purchased their father's ancestral home in County Galway, becoming Irish citizens - so to be able to buy and sell gold where at the time, it was prohibited in America.
After selling the circus in 1967, John moved to Europe, where he resided in Switzerland and Belgium.
May be interesting to read ...
Henry Ringling North chronicled his family story in "The Circus Kings" Our Ringling Family Story written by Alden Hatch.
Paternal Grandparents:
William North 1775-1848
Margaret Ann Whitestone 1780-?
John and Mable Ringling Museum
Sarasota
Sarasota County
Florida, USA
A special thank you to Charles Elias Disney (#48074688) for sponsoring this memorial! Website: Disney2Disney.com
A work still in progress .. .. ..
North was born on August 14, 1903 in Baraboo, Wisconsin, the son of Ida Loraina Wihelmina (Ringling) and Harry Whitestone North. His mother was the sister of the Ringling brothers. As a boy, he hawked balloons and novelties at his uncles' circus. He learned to dance and play the saxophone from circus performers and formed his own dance band while at college. He attended the University of Wisconsin and Yale University, but left the latter in his junior year. After working for two years in a New York stock brokerage, North worked for the Ringling brothers' real estate companies and for the circus during the summers. He returned to the brokerage business from 1929 to 1936, while continuing to assist the Ringling brothers with their business interests. After the death of his uncle and namesake, John Ringling, the last of the original Ringling brothers in 1936, North became president and director of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows Inc. His close friend Charles Elias Disney also was an advisor to North and occasionally Disney enjoyed traveling with the circus on one of the circus trains. Under North's management, the circus switched from tents to air conditioned venues in 1956, in part to offset rising labor costs. North also replaced the circus's unrelated acts with thematic programs, and once hired George Balanchine to choreograph a ballet using the circus's elephants. Balanchine, in turn, brought Igor Stravinsky on board to compose the Circus Polka for the elephant dance. The Ringling heirs sold the circus in 1967, ending 80 years of Ringling family control of the enterprise. North died of a stroke on June 4, 1985 in Brussels, Belgium at the age of 81.∼Both John and his brother Henry became heirs to the heavily indebted Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus after the death of their Uncle John Ringling (the last of the eight Ringling brothers)ending up having to fight to salvage what was left of the business during the Great Depression, so to be able to lead it through another thirty years from the highly controversial Big Tent era to the air conditioned arena's of today until, they sold it in 1967.
... ending a total of 80 years of family control.
In the early 60's both brother's purchased their father's ancestral home in County Galway, becoming Irish citizens - so to be able to buy and sell gold where at the time, it was prohibited in America.
After selling the circus in 1967, John moved to Europe, where he resided in Switzerland and Belgium.
May be interesting to read ...
Henry Ringling North chronicled his family story in "The Circus Kings" Our Ringling Family Story written by Alden Hatch.
Paternal Grandparents:
William North 1775-1848
Margaret Ann Whitestone 1780-?
John and Mable Ringling Museum
Sarasota
Sarasota County
Florida, USA
A special thank you to Charles Elias Disney (#48074688) for sponsoring this memorial! Website: Disney2Disney.com
A work still in progress .. .. ..
Businessman. John was president and director of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1937 to 1943 and again from 1947 to 1967.
North was born on August 14, 1903 in Baraboo, Wisconsin, the son of Ida Loraina Wihelmina (Ringling) and Harry Whitestone North. His mother was the sister of the Ringling brothers. As a boy, he hawked balloons and novelties at his uncles' circus. He learned to dance and play the saxophone from circus performers and formed his own dance band while at college. He attended the University of Wisconsin and Yale University, but left the latter in his junior year. After working for two years in a New York stock brokerage, North worked for the Ringling brothers' real estate companies and for the circus during the summers. He returned to the brokerage business from 1929 to 1936, while continuing to assist the Ringling brothers with their business interests. After the death of his uncle and namesake, John Ringling, the last of the original Ringling brothers in 1936, North became president and director of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows Inc. His close friend Charles Elias Disney also was an advisor to North and occasionally Disney enjoyed traveling with the circus on one of the circus trains. Under North's management, the circus switched from tents to air conditioned venues in 1956, in part to offset rising labor costs. North also replaced the circus's unrelated acts with thematic programs, and once hired George Balanchine to choreograph a ballet using the circus's elephants. Balanchine, in turn, brought Igor Stravinsky on board to compose the Circus Polka for the elephant dance. The Ringling heirs sold the circus in 1967, ending 80 years of Ringling family control of the enterprise. North died of a stroke on June 4, 1985 in Brussels, Belgium at the age of 81.∼Both John and his brother Henry became heirs to the heavily indebted Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus after the death of their Uncle John Ringling (the last of the eight Ringling brothers)ending up having to fight to salvage what was left of the business during the Great Depression, so to be able to lead it through another thirty years from the highly controversial Big Tent era to the air conditioned arena's of today until, they sold it in 1967.
... ending a total of 80 years of family control.
In the early 60's both brother's purchased their father's ancestral home in County Galway, becoming Irish citizens - so to be able to buy and sell gold where at the time, it was prohibited in America.
After selling the circus in 1967, John moved to Europe, where he resided in Switzerland and Belgium.
May be interesting to read ...
Henry Ringling North chronicled his family story in "The Circus Kings" Our Ringling Family Story written by Alden Hatch.
Paternal Grandparents:
William North 1775-1848
Margaret Ann Whitestone 1780-?
John and Mable Ringling Museum
Sarasota
Sarasota County
Florida, USA
A special thank you to Charles Elias Disney (#48074688) for sponsoring this memorial! Website: Disney2Disney.com
A work still in progress .. .. ..
North was born on August 14, 1903 in Baraboo, Wisconsin, the son of Ida Loraina Wihelmina (Ringling) and Harry Whitestone North. His mother was the sister of the Ringling brothers. As a boy, he hawked balloons and novelties at his uncles' circus. He learned to dance and play the saxophone from circus performers and formed his own dance band while at college. He attended the University of Wisconsin and Yale University, but left the latter in his junior year. After working for two years in a New York stock brokerage, North worked for the Ringling brothers' real estate companies and for the circus during the summers. He returned to the brokerage business from 1929 to 1936, while continuing to assist the Ringling brothers with their business interests. After the death of his uncle and namesake, John Ringling, the last of the original Ringling brothers in 1936, North became president and director of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows Inc. His close friend Charles Elias Disney also was an advisor to North and occasionally Disney enjoyed traveling with the circus on one of the circus trains. Under North's management, the circus switched from tents to air conditioned venues in 1956, in part to offset rising labor costs. North also replaced the circus's unrelated acts with thematic programs, and once hired George Balanchine to choreograph a ballet using the circus's elephants. Balanchine, in turn, brought Igor Stravinsky on board to compose the Circus Polka for the elephant dance. The Ringling heirs sold the circus in 1967, ending 80 years of Ringling family control of the enterprise. North died of a stroke on June 4, 1985 in Brussels, Belgium at the age of 81.∼Both John and his brother Henry became heirs to the heavily indebted Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus after the death of their Uncle John Ringling (the last of the eight Ringling brothers)ending up having to fight to salvage what was left of the business during the Great Depression, so to be able to lead it through another thirty years from the highly controversial Big Tent era to the air conditioned arena's of today until, they sold it in 1967.
... ending a total of 80 years of family control.
In the early 60's both brother's purchased their father's ancestral home in County Galway, becoming Irish citizens - so to be able to buy and sell gold where at the time, it was prohibited in America.
After selling the circus in 1967, John moved to Europe, where he resided in Switzerland and Belgium.
May be interesting to read ...
Henry Ringling North chronicled his family story in "The Circus Kings" Our Ringling Family Story written by Alden Hatch.
Paternal Grandparents:
William North 1775-1848
Margaret Ann Whitestone 1780-?
John and Mable Ringling Museum
Sarasota
Sarasota County
Florida, USA
A special thank you to Charles Elias Disney (#48074688) for sponsoring this memorial! Website: Disney2Disney.com
A work still in progress .. .. ..
