John L. Sullivan (circa 1860 - April 1932), was a tuskless male

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...

that performed in the

Adam Forepaugh Adam John Forepaugh (born Adam John Forbach; February 28, 1831 – January 22, 1890) was an American horse trader and circus owner. From 1865 through 1890 his circus operated under various names including Forepaugh's Circus, Forepaugh's Gigantic ...

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

and, later, in the

Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling, is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Earth ...

Biography

In the early days of its career, John L. (who was named after the boxer

John L. Sullivan John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918), known simply as John L. among his admirers, and dubbed the "Boston Strong Boy" by the press, was an American boxer. He is recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved ...

) performed a boxing act with his trainer, Eph Thompson. John would have a boxing glove placed at the end of his trunk to spar with Thompson. John stayed with the circus as the Forepaugh show joined with the

Sells Brothers Circus Sells Brothers Circus was a circus founded by Ephraim, William, Lewis and Peter Sells in Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, United States. History The circus, more formally known as the Sells Brothers' Quadruple Alliance, Museum, Menagerie, Caravan ...

, which then joined with the

Ringling Brothers Circus Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows is a circus founded in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling brothers: Albert, August, Otto, Alfred T., Charles, John, and Henry. The Ringling brothers were sons of a Germ ...

. Old John, as he came to be known, stayed on with the circus after he retired from performing. He babysat for the performers' children, did heavy lifting, and led the elephant herd to and from the show grounds and train. On 9 April 1922, John, with Dexter Fellows, began a 53 mile pilgrimage from

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

to the

Elephant Hotel The Elephant Hotel is a historic former hotel which today serves as the town hall in Somers, in Westchester County, New York, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on August 7, 1974 as Somers Town Hous ...

Somers, New York Somers is a Town (New York), town located in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 21,541. The nearby Metro-North Commuter Railroad provides service to Grand Central Terminal i ...

, to pay tribute to

Old Bet Old Bet (died July 24, 1816) was the first circus elephant and the second elephant brought to the United States. There are reports of an elephant brought to the United States in 1796, but it is not known for certain that this was the elephant th ...

, the first elephant in America. John arrived on 13 April 1922. He laid a wreath on the monument to Old Bet. He died of old age or of heart failure in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

in 1932.Bosworth, William George. ''Wagon Wheels''. London: Heath, Cranton, Ltd., 1935. p. 193. Quoted in Yoram S. Carmeli
"Text, Traces, and the Reification of Totality: The Case of Popular Circus Literature,"
''New Literary History'', Vol. 25, No. 1, Literary History and Other Histories. (Winter, 1994), pp. 182-183.

References

{{reflist, 30em 1860 animal births 1932 animal deaths Circus elephants Individual elephants in the United States Individual Asian elephants Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

Biography

See also

References