William Preston Hall
| William Preston Hall | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
William Preston Hall February 29, 1864 Schuyler County, Missouri |
| Died | June 29, 1932 (aged 68) Lancaster, Schuyler County, Missouri |
| Resting place | I.O.O.F. Cemetery Lancaster, Missouri |
| Other names | "Diamond Billy" "Horse King of the World" "The Colonel" |
| Education | No formal education. |
| Occupation | Animal broker, circus empresario & equipment broker. |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah (Mitchell) Hall |
| Children | Son: William P. Hall, Jr. Daughters: Sidney, Wilma |
William Preston Hall (1864–1932) aka "The Colonel", "Diamond Billy", and "Horse King of the World" was an American showman, businessman, and circus impresario. The William P. Hall House in Lancaster, Missouri is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
William Hall was born February 29, 1864 near Lancaster, Schuyler County, Missouri to William and Sidney (Spurgeon) Hall. His parents died when he was just twelve years old, forcing the orphaned Hall to work as a hired farmhand during his youth. Hall bought his first horse at age 15, and by age 18 he was making a living as a full-time buyer and seller of horses. In 1894 he wed Sarah (Mitchell) Hall. They had three children, one son, William P. Hall Jr. and daughters Sidney and Wilma.
Horse King of the World: In his mid-twenties William Hall began to expand his horse and mule trading beyond northeast Missouri, selling thousands of animals to the likes of the American Express Company and the U.S. Army. Among his claims to fame are helping to establish the Missouri mule as one of the strongest and most reliable in the world. In 1895 Hall established an east coast operation with a sales facility in Richmond, Virginia run by his brother, Louis. From that location the Halls shipped many mules and horses to the European markets, London, England and Hamburg, Germany most notably. It was on sales trips to Europe he developed an interest in circuses, which would come to play heavily in his later business life. The sale and overseas transfer of so many animals earn Hall his first nickname "Horse King of the World".
Diamond Billy: With the coming of the Boer War in 1899 came opportunity, one which Hall seized by establishing a sale barn in Cape Town, South Africa and selling many horses to the British army. Now an extremely wealthy man, William Hall purchased a large home and 160 acres (0.65 km2) in his hometown of Lancaster. Always a lover of fine clothing and gems, Hall became known as "Diamond Billy" for the large amount of the precious stones he would wear. In fact, when supplying mules to the mines of South Africa, he would sometimes take raw diamonds as payment in lieu of cash. It was said that with some of his earliest wealth he purchased 20,000 dollars worth of diamonds to adorn his clothing. Organizers of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri asked William Hall to provide horses for a reenactment of Boer War battles. At the close of the fair he purchased several elephants and two camels. Having been fascinated with circuses since his earlier European trips, in 1904 Hall also purchased two small failing circus companies and combined them to form the W.P. Hall Circus. However he found the road life too arduous and unprofitable, thus disbanded the operation in 1905 after one season. It was the selling-off of the animals and equipment that sparked the next career phase, that as a supplier of equipment and animals to zoos and circuses.
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